The Adventures of a Dragonborn
by Systemfel
Summary: Aurora had travelled all across Tamriel before she ended up with the Companions. Quickly accepted for her warrior skills, she finds more than just a home in Jorrvaskr. Her story is about adventure, romance and finding herself. Love interests include Vilkas/Brynjolf/Farkas and some extra spice. Rated M for sexiness in later chapters. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

"Brynjolf..." She looked up at him. His eyes were closed and he had a satisfied expression on his face.

"Mm?" he groaned without moving an inch. The soft light fell on his hair and created almost golden sections of his usually red hair. It was messy and a bit sweaty.

The room was small, but rather nicely decorated. They often went here together, as the Ratway did not really offer the privacy they wanted. Goat horns were used as nice light holders and made the room more homely. Outside, darkness had fallen a long time ago. Only the soft light from torches, held by patrolling city guards made a small difference to how the shadows were casted.

"I really feel that you should take over from here." Suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked down at the woman resting at his side. Her long, dark hair covered the naked breasts he a few moments ago passionately pinched. At first he looked worried, but then he smiled cheekily.

"What do you mean by that? Haven't I pleased you..." He bent over to kiss her, but she steered away.

The sheets had formed a bump on Aurora's side of the bed. They were soaked with sweat. Brynjolf inadvertently smiled when he thought of that.

"Stop it, you know what I mean." Brynjolf looked confused, but he knew exactly why Aurora meant, yet why?

"Are you leaving already?" he asked her whilst caressing her jawline with his fingers. Her hazel coloured eyes expressed feelings of guilt. He knew that this moment would come, eventually, but he did not want it to be there so soon. Brynjolf felt betrayed, but he knew that he had no right to do so. She had been honest and straightforward about the fact that she did not want to stay at one place too long. Becoming Guild master had not exactly been her plan, and she did not wish to get stuck in Riften – or Skyrim for that matter. After leaving the Imperial City four summers ago, she had travelled all across Tamriel, before getting caught crossing the border between Cyrodiil and Skyrim, mistaken for a Stormcloak. She had admitted to him that she would be gone in a few weeks, but she had already been with the Guild for three months, and Brynjolf had hoped that he could convince her to stay for a while longer. The moment he knew would come finally did, yet it hit him from a blue sky.

"Alright... I must admit that this is not what I had wished for. Not only for the sake of the Guild, but also for me."

Aurora started to laugh. It was a friendly laughter, but still warning. She turned to the side so that she could face the man next to her. Her fingers touched his chest, and she started to draw circles in his chest hair.

"Why? It's not like we're a couple. You told me yourself – it's completely casual."

Brynjolf smiled. "Yeah, but you're the best lover I have. I will be sad to see you leave."

Aurora supported her weight on the left arm, raising herself a bit from the bed. "The best lover? Just out of curiosity, how many others do you have except for me and Tonilia!?" She looked at him with an angry gaze. Well, not _angry_, but at least a bit judgemental.

"Calm down, lass. Just the two of you." Brynjolf smiled widely at her as he put his other arm around her. "No more that you have". He smiled when the expression on Aurora's face changed. She looked surprised, and much to Brynjolf's joy, she blushed.

"How did you know about me and Vipir?"

He laughed as he hugged her tighter. "Oh please, the lad is completely in love with you, everyone can tell. And it is mean of you to let him believe that he has a chance, lass."

"Perhaps he has", Aurora teased Brynjolf.

"Then why would you keep coming to _me_ for pleasure? A bit lonely in the sack, are we?" he answered.

They smiled, but went quiet. Suddenly, the light atmosphere had become serious once again. Brynjolf felt that he was losing his closest friend. Where would she go? He doubted that she knew that herself. Would they meet again or would she leave Skyrim altogether? It was not likely that she would settle down anytime soon – she was an adventurer, and to make matters worse – somewhat immature. Aurora was a good warrior and thief, but too hot tempered. There was a considerably higher risk of doing something stupid with that temper of hers, and Brynjolf worried about her. On the other hand, he thought, she had a lot experience of traveling the lands of Tamriel. She knew the dangers, and both her spirit and sword arm were strong. He felt old around her. He had been an adventurer too, in his youth. Being with a woman half his age had its advantages, but it was never easy, especially with her energy. He also had a tough time combining his many roles as teacher, advisor, subject, friend and... lover. Yet, she was an absolute joy. She made him feel so... alive again. Not just in bed, no, she brought a fire to the Ratway. Everything seemed so much brighter with her around.

The next morning when he woke up, she was gone. He knew that they both preferred to have it that way. Long goodbyes were more painful than disappearances. The only thing he disliked about the fact that she had left without a trace was that he was left alone to tell the rest of the Guild, including Vipir. Aurora had made a lot of friends there. Everyone was very fond of her, and she liked the entire Guild in return. It was she who had raised the Thieves Guild back to its former glory in Riften. Without her, they would still have bad luck and experiencing a downward spiral. He owed a lot to that lass. At times, he had wished that he could fall in love with her, just to have a reason to have her stay. He played with the thought of making her pregnant, and by that making her choose Riften. He could have married her just to be close to his best friend, but he knew that neither one of them would be very happy about that life. Also, raising a child in the Ratway was beyond idiocy. Brynjolf had concluded that this situation probably was for the best, he just wished that it would not come so soon.

Brynjolf felt bad telling Vipir. A bit dirty for sleeping with the lad's crush too – especially when he put his arm on Vipir's shoulder to comfort him. Vipir had fallen head over heels for that lass, but she had not treated him the way he deserved. Vipir had the impression that he and Aurora were exclusive, and that she would come around when it came to marriage plans. He knew that she had told him that she did not look for anything lasting, everyone in the Guild knew that, but Vipir still hoped. Brynjolf told him to look on the bright side. What exactly that was, though, he could not tell.


	2. Chapter 2

After leaving Riften, the first place she had gone to after Helgen, Aurora decided to just follow the river. Nothing special happened during the first 12 hours of her trip. She played her life story in her mind; how she had grown up in the Imperial City – running around the city streets laid out in circles, avoiding some spots that had imaginable traps on them. It was a shame, really, that she was forced to leave her home country, but she did not wish to marry some pompous, fat merchant with legs that were too short to be proportional to the body. Normally, Imperials were rather fit due to the time spent training, hunting and running errands across the lands, but Lorencius or Lorencus, whatever his name was, did nothing of that. Aurora met him once when her father introduced the fat man to her, and she immediately disliked him. He was arrogant and tried to exercise his power over her. Being richer than Aurora's family, he felt that he could do what he wished to his wife to be. Lorencus... Lorenzo or something demanded that she would give up her trips to the nature around the Imperial City and be a good housewife.

The same night as her father had given his blessing, she gathered her things and left for Elsweyr. She had known little about the lands of the Khajiit, but she liked how it sounded. Elsweyr, anywhere but Cyrodiil. That was where she had her first real job. She worked on a moon sugar plantation, but only for a month before she realised that she was a hunter more than anything else. She quickly left for Morrowind – a land she did not particularly like. The people were not friendly, but she did fall for a young Dunmer named Amhed. She was ready to settle down with him, but as it turned out, he was just using her. Young Dunmer were rather promiscuous, and being new to the lands, she did not know it. Aurora had just been a number for him. After having him breaking her heart, Aurora promised that she would never fall for a mer again.

She looked at the landscape, which was just mesmerising. A river and a green forest stretched all around her, and in the background – a huge, snowy mountain. The climate was changing as she reached the foot of the mountain. She began to freeze, and not being a Nord did not help her. When Aurora felt that her entire body was shivering, she raised the pace at which she was travelling. Running up the side of the first mountain took its toll on her lungs – she was not used to this cold weather, and her throat protested with some coughs.

She had no idea of where she was and the highest mountain she had ever seen frightened her. Damn this winter land. It was felonious – tricking the unknowing with its glittery, white snow. It looked like sugar, but was so cold. The air changed too. She gasped for breath as she reached higher. Aurora had only experienced something similar in High Rock, but she had opted for the coastline more than the mountains when she visited the land of Bretons. She now regretted that she had not picked up more knowledge of magic. The Bretons were good mages, but she never felt a need of using spells over her sword. She did not trust those swich swich woop woop-sounds and what they could do to an enemy or friend. The cold made her fantasise about Hammerfell. The warmth of the land, of the people... She had decided to go back to Hammerfell after visiting High Rock. Somehow Skyrim's cold could not compete with Hammerfell's climate, she thought. It was also there, in Hammerfell where she had become a great swordswoman. After going back to Cyrodiil, Aurora had hoped that she could join the legion and be welcomed back by her family, but they would have none of that. Meeting her family on the streets, but having them looking another way was unbearable to her. They were ashamed of her and her choices, and her mother had made it very clear that she was no longer her daughter. Crying, Aurora had left once again. She had no plan where to go that time, so she just went wherever the road took her. That was to Helgen.

Nothing but a mud crab had attacked her until she reached the hillside a couple of miles before Riverwood. There, a sabre cat decided that she would be an easy meal. Needless to say, Aurora got a fur to sleep on that night. She had found some abandoned shack and decided that it would have to do as she did not carry a tent with her. She made a fire with some wood she had found close to the shack and a fire spell. Aurora was no way near a master at magic, but she knew three good spells, which were enough for getting by. Sadly, the wood was damp and it took quite a while to lit it. Aurora had not been trained in magic as a child, therefore she could only continue for a short while before her magica was too low. It took ages to get a warm, cosy fire.

The following day, she reached Riverwood. She did not take a particular liking to the village, but she decided that she would stay at the inn to gather some energy. She spoke to some locals that informed her about the places nearby and Skyrim in general. After exploring parts of the village, she reached a small shop called "Riverwood Trader". As she did not wish to carry the pelt with her on the trip, she decided to try to get rid of it, in exchange for gold of course. Upon entering, she heard two people arguing. She walked in, and the man and woman soon hurried to their business. Aurora asked the trader what the fuss was about, and he told her that some bandits had broken in and stolen a golden claw of his. She agreed to retrieve it for him.

That was a rather easy quest, and she had already defeated creatures very alike the ones she found in the cave where the Golden Claw was found. She looted the place and then went back to Riverwood to collect her reward. Aurora also sold the things she had taken from the cave to the blacksmith. Having pocket loads of gold felt good. She had left a lot at the Guild, as it was neither convenient or risk free to carry too much gold around. She knew that Brynjolf would keep it for her if she would ever be in need. It was a nice change to have a good amount of money. This was the first time in her life when she could buy most things she wanted. When she left Cyrodiil for the second time, she did not have a septim. Her only source of income had been hunting animals and selling their meat and pelts. The first thing she did after receiving her first pay in Riften was to get a better sword and shield and new, heavier armour. Imperials often used light armour, but here in the north, they used maces and greatswords to a greater extent, therefore her leather armour was insufficient. It had taken some time to get used to the increase of weight, but Aurora was happy with the results. She had become a lot tougher and put on some extra muscle mass. Nowadays she almost looked like a Nord.

* * *

As I wrote earlier, the intro can be a bit slow, but I feel that it is needed for understanding the main character. Also, in dialogues later on, she will refer to the life before the Companions, therefore it can be good to know. Please review! Constructive criticism is much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later, she took off for Whiterun. It was fairly close to Riverwood and only took about two hours to get there. Upon seeing the city for the first time, she immediately felt something for it that she could not put her finger on. She felt a belonging to it, standing there on the hill, overlooking the view. Beneath her, there was something that looked like a farm, so she climbed down the hill and continued forwards. After turning a bit to the left, she saw a troll. A troll, in the middle of a field with tree people fighting it.

She rushed to their help, but the moment she came up to the fighters, they had already slayed the troll. Aurora looked at them, and they seemed as perplexed as she must have done.

"Well, who are you?" She asked them neutrally. A tall and very muscular man answered her.

"We are the Companions". His voice was manly. He had dark, long hair and bright eyes. His armour was of steel and he held a two-handed sword next to him. Aurora was amazed by his looks. He was simply the most attractive man she had ever seen. Her thoughts were broken by a cough from one of the two women behind him.

"I'm Aela. These are my shield-siblings. You should try out for being a Companion – we are recruiting." An attractive woman stepped forward. She was rather tall and slim with beautiful hair. She had a war paint on her face that made her seem rather dangerous and cruel, yet she was as pretty as one could be. Aurora liked this about the Nords. They were a very beautiful race. Some liked the slim, athletic figure of the Mer, but Aurora preferred the stronger and heavier Nords. Also, a Nord was more straightforward and honest than the other races, and after Amhed, that was a necessity.

"Yeah, I will think about that and find you. You are located in that town, I take it?" It was a diplomatical answer, and the woman named Aela nodded.

The Companions quickly left, but Aurora walked slowly towards the town. She followed the main road to the stables. The sky was changing as the sun set. It was almost golden with pinkish clouds. Above the walls, rooftops of houses were seen. Whiterun was simply breath taking. Well inside of the city walls, she continued forwards until she came to the marketplace. The houses were wooden with carved decorations on the roof. The atmosphere in Whiterun was idyllic, and dared she think it? Yes, it felt like home. She felt a belonging, in this cold land, she felt warmth and calmness.

Aurora paid ten septims to get a room at the Bannered Mare and stayed there for the night. The next morning, she packed her belongings and walked around to explore the town. At first, she went back to the marketplace and talked to all the people there. She gave one septim to a drunk, and continued towards the Wind District, as it was called. There was a tree just before a house that looked like it had an upside down boat as a roof. Just beneath it, there stood a preaching monk. Aurora was not very much into this religion thing (compared to the Nords) – she tried her best not to bother the Gods, and in return, she hoped, they would not bother her more then necessary. Besides, the monk seemed a bit crazy. The house in front of her intrigued her, so she decided to walk up the stairs and see what it was.

She opened the right door and came into a huge hall. In the middle, there was a fire, and tables stood around three of the edges. The colours were nicely combined; wood and red fabrics, red and yellow carpets and beautiful beams.

Suddenly, she realised that a fistfight had broken out between two women. These people were the Companions, Aurora realised.

"Are those two at it again?" She heard a voice say.

There were a lot of people around the fighters, and Aurora walked up to one of them.

"Come on now, watch the footwork. Keep your balance."

"Nice."

"Rarrrgh!"

"Get her!"

"Nerevar guide me."

"Gods, damn you!"

The man she had walked up to was bald and had a grim look on his face. He was scarred and had a red war paint across his cheeks.

"I was thinking about joining the Companions."

The man turned to Aurora and crossed his arms. They were rather muscular, she noted. He was quite impressive and looked like an experienced warrior.

"So you think you have what it takes?" He laughed. "Lucky for you, I'm not the one that makes that decision. Talk to Kodlak. Who knows, maybe he's in a generous mood." His voice was deep too, nearly as deep as that man's she had met outside of Whiterun. The man in front of her was once again distracted by the fight, so Aurora turned around to look for some Kodlak. He was probably a lot older than the rest of them, she thought. Leaders of guilds like this often were.

As she could not see anyone that age in the hall, she turned towards the right side of the building. There she saw some stairs leading down to a double door. She opened it and walked into a long, wide corridor. She turned right and continued forwards through two vaults. There she saw two men sitting abound a table, talking about something. One of the men had long, white hair and a grey-whitish beard. He was old, but in good physical shape. He still filled the armour on him. His face was kind, and his body language indicated that he was the leader.

The second man had dark hair and ice blue eyes. Aurora had seen him before. In the dark, he looked exactly like the man she had met outside of Whiterun, but he was not as impressively built as she remembered him. This time, he did not look as friendly as he had been before.

"A stranger comes to our Hall." Said the elder one.

Aurora stepped forward and walked up to the old man. She did not know why, but she felt a bit nervous. Perhaps it was due to the dark gazes she got from the dark man in the corner.

"I would like to join the Companions." She said confidently, trying to hide her nervousness. The younger warrior laughed lightly.

The old man turned his head towards her and frowned lightly at her. "Would you now? Here, let me have a look at you." Aurora let her arms hang down the sides and to flex her muscles as hard as she could. She turned around with decisive steps. "Hm. Yes, perhaps. A certain strength of spirit." Kodlak said.

The man in the corner who had not yet spoken a word rose up a bit in his chair. He looked very unfriendly and reminded Aurora of a snake. That was more due to his poisonous attitude and body language than anything else, as he was not particularly sleazy or crawly at all, but Aurora immediately disliked the way he looked at her.

"Master, you're not truly considering accepting _her_?" Aurora casted an angry look upon him. There was nothing wrong with her. She was a fighter; she had both the strength and the spirit. There was no reason to why he should utter the words he said. The older man came to her defence.

"I am nobody's master, Vilkas. And last I checked, we had some empty beds in Jorrvaskr for those with a fire burning in their hearts."

The dark man immediately responded. "Apologies. But perhaps this isn't the time. I've never even heard about this outsider." Once again he looked at Aurora with a slight detest in his eyes.

"Sometimes the famous come to us. Sometimes men and women come to us to seek their fame. It makes no difference. What matters is their heart." Kodlak sounded like a wise man. Aurora respected him already. She guessed that the old man was a fatherly figure to the people in Jorrvask...

"And their arm." The younger man said.

"Of course." Said Kodlak and turned to Aurora. "How are you in battle, girl?"

"I can handle myself."

"That may be so. This is Vilkas. He will test your arm." Kodlak gestured with his head. "Vilkas, take her out to the yard and see what she can do."

The man named Vilkas had not let go of the woman with his gaze. Now it turned to a somewhat sadistic smile. He thought that he would crush her, Aurora thought. It made her boil with anger. She was prepared, and she would show them all what she was made of. The Redguards had trained her well, and surviving as a hunter had toughened her. She was ready to beat him, if not only for his hurtful words, at least she would make him regret those gazes.

"Aye," Vilkas then told Aurora. "Not here. Out in the yard. Come on." He took the lead, and with decisive, fast steps, he went through the corridor. He walked so fast that Aurora had to jog in order to keep up with his pace. It probably amused him, she thought. When reaching the door, he took a quick look at her but then continued up the stairs. Well out on the courtyard, other members of the Companions gathered.

"The old man told me to have a look at you, so let's do this. Just have a few swings at me so that I can see your form." He grinned and put his teeth together, much like a wolf does when it sees a pray. Aurora prepared for battle, pulling her sword out of its case. She raised it, tricked Vilkas that she would attack straight ahead, and then quickly steered the sword to his side. The manoeuvre took Vilkas by surprise.

He groaned, but it was his pride more than the pain that hurt. He looked at the others who were standing on the steps and congratulating the newcomer.

"Not bad, but next time won't be so easy." He said with an undertone of admiration. "You might just make it. But for now you are still a whelp to us, new blood. So you do what we tell you."

* * *

**Finally in Whiterun. Now the rest will go smoother. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

It did not take long before Aurora was sent out on a mission. This would be the one determining if she was good enough for a full membership within the Companions. The task was to retrieve a fragment of Wuuthrad from Dustman's Cairn. She had gotten the quest from Skjor, but Farkas would come with her as a supervisor. She was annoyed with the fact that they did not trust her capability of retrieving the fragment herself, yet she was happy that they chose Farkas to go with her. At least he was not Vilkas.

Aurora and Farkas set off early in the morning. The journey was not long – Farkas said that they would probably be there by midday. After passing the wall, Aurora turned to Farkas. He was wearing his steel armour and looked good in it. Aurora admired his looks. His body language was extremely pleasing. Even though he was at least two and a half heads taller and three times wider than she, he still managed to move neatly. He reminded her of those lions that populated the deserts of Hammerfell – strong, beautiful and athletic. Farkas was the embodiment of a true Nord hero. Even though Aurora knew how to take care of herself and was able to defeat any man or animal that attacked her, she still had some sort of primitive wish for protection. He did not actually have to save her, just be there, psychologically. To know that she always had a strong man by her side. A lioness was a warrior, but she still had a man twice her size at home. She could let him be her lion...

"Aurora?" Farkas laughed. She had been so deep in her own thoughts that she had not noticed that he had told her something.

"Oh, sorry... I was..." She pointed with a finger to her head.

"Aye, you were in your own world." He smiled at her. "I wanted to ask you how you got that scar beneath your eye."

"Oh, this?" Aurora reflexively put her hand on it. "A spider in a cave, long ago. I was not as trained then as I am now." "I thought that I had killed it, but it surprised me when I got closer. Luckily, it merely touched me. That's why the scar is so small."

Farkas had made a disgusted expression when he heard the word "spider", which Aurora noticed.

"Oh, afraid of spiders, are we, eh? But they are much smaller than humans..."

Farkas laughed uneasily and looked another way. Aurora realised that it was an uncomfortable subject. She did not wish to make him in a bad mood so soon.

"On the other hand, so is a firebolt." She searched for his eyes, but he was still looking away. She was not sure whether if he did not find her comment funny or if he simply had not understood her. She let the subject drop.

"You have a large scar on your hand, where does that come from?" she asked him instead.

"I was attacked by a bear, also a long while ago. It almost took my hand." Aurora immediately saw her chance.

"As in marriage?" she joked. Farkas laughed and lightly pushed her on the shoulder.

"You don't have to be ashamed of your scars, not with the Companions at least. They show the world that you have lived a warrior's life." A nuance of pride was distinguable in his voice.

"Yes, but they also show the world that I've messed up at times."

"No true warrior gets away safe and sound every time."

"True, but I would like to minimalize traces of the times when I don't get back in one piece."

"It shouldn't be far" Farkas said when they got close to the foot of the mountain. They continued for a few more minutes before a hole in the ground became visible. There was a stair leading down to the bottom where a decorated iron door was hidden behind some sort of ivy.

Upon reaching the entrance, Farkas turned to Aurora. The fun was over, now they had to get to work. He touched her shoulder with his arm.

"Hey, be careful inside there."

Over the past hours, Aurora had started to genuinely care for Farkas. He seemed to be a decent man. He was friendly towards her, but she was under the impression that it was the way he was towards everybody. Kind. Brave. Strong.

Aurora nodded and opened the door.

The inside of Dustman's Cairn was made of stone that was cut out from the cave. At first, there was a set of stairs leading down to a room. Some skeletons had fallen out of their iron tombs together with the boulder. In the middle, there stood a table with a chest on its left side. It was locked, but being the good thief Aurora was, she opened it easily.

"Hey, you look almost professional, opening that." Aurora could not tell if he was impressed or suspicious, but decided not to answer it.

She found some gold, a scroll and a pair of gauntlets. Taking the money and the scroll, she looked at Farkas.

He stood with his arms crossed. The handle to his sword was visible from behind his head. Apparently, he felt no need to have it in his hands that moment. Aurora, on the other hand, was still holding hers.

"I've been to places like this before," she said with a shiver. Last time was outside of Riverwood, and it had not been a pleasant mission. The damp air bore scents of mould and decomposition, and there was a constant fear of getting stuck due to falling stones.

Something that looked as if it had been a vault led them further in. They encountered some burial stones and a Draugr skeleton. Aurora started to examine it when she heard a sound.

"To your right!" she yelled, but Farkas was prepared. Aurora stood up and stabbed another Restless Draugr, killing it instantly. A third one attacked from the left, casting some sort of magic on her. She felt how her body became stiff and cold, but she managed to raise her shield and take cover until she was close enough to penetrate his chest with her sword.

It took a while for her to recover from the shock of having magic thrown at her. It was cheating. Only those without a strong arm and a bit of decency used magic, in her opinion.

Quietness fell on the room once more. Only the sound of Farkas heavy breathing indicated some sort of life in the crypt. She looked at him. His chest was moving more than usual. It was probably due to the air. Aurora felt that she had to gasp for breath, but her lungs were not as large as Farkas', and they did not have to provide for as much oxygen to her body.

Farkas looked at the woman before him. She had some dirt on her face and legs that made her look even more like a warrior. Her legs... He could see parts of her thigh that were not covered by the skirt from the armour. They were unusually muscular and sleek for a woman. She obviously was well trained and athletic. With those legs, she must be stronger than even Aela!

"These must be ancient!" Aurora was astonished. She had never seen weapons as old as the ones carried by the Draugrs. Well, she had been to some ruins before... No, she had seen weapons as old as these, but not in that good shape.

She looked on Farkas. His look was somewhat absent, but it was directed at her. Her heart jumped. Was he thinking about her? The thought of that made her blush, but the man next to her did not notice before it was too late. She had turned around and was walking further in.

Spider webs. Bloody everywhere. Why were places like this always full of spider webs? He hated them, those disgusting creatures with more eyes than legs. No matter, he needed to keep a straight face in front of her. He had come to supervise her, and he would not embarrass himself by letting his fear control him.

As they moved forwards, Aurora noticed that there were parts that were carved into the walls. Usually there was an urn placed there. But at some parts there were not. In others there was a...

"Draugr!" she yelled, and smashed it with her sword.

Farkas noticed that she was shocked. She had hit the creature so hard that its head was split in two all the way down to the... He decided not to look. Did not want to get nauseated. The sight of a body drenched in blood with brain substance on the walls, together with the bad smell in the room was overwhelming.

They had ended up before a wooden door. Aurora opened it carefully and saw that parts of the walls had collapsed in the corridor. Spider webs were so thick that they had to cut through it.

Straight ahead there was a table of stone with some embalming tools on it. Aurora examined the linen and salts placed on the table and grinned in disgust. Farkas was not far behind, and made a wink with his head to encourage her to move on.

"Let's go. We have a long way left."

"Farkas..." She turned to him, looking at his chest. "Are you ever afraid when in situations like this?" She raised her gaze, looking him in the eyes.

Her face had lost some of the joy she came with to Dustman's Cairn. She was more serious now than she had been before. Less eager to fight. "Aye. I am now," he said and took a step closer to her, reaching for her arm.

She smiled as his fingers gently grabbed her arm. "Hey, eyes on the prey, not the horizon," he said, searching for her look. He gave her a short smile before he pushed her forwards.

They turned right and went through an open door, into a larger hall and ended up on what could be regarded as the second floor. Aurora could hear movement below her, so she quietly took her bow and sneaked to a pillar where she got down on one knee. She aimed at the Draugr and killed it with one shot, hitting it in the back of its head.

She looked at Farkas, who stood by the door and made thumbs up for her.

Not having to worry about being stabbed with an axe, Aurora had the time to look around and investigate the room. There was a lot of space there. The ceiling was high and made of stone, like the rest of the room. On the right side, she could see an embalmed Draugr on a table. It was wrapped in linen and made a ghostly sight.

Three vaults were located around the hall, one of which had iron bars prohibiting them from continuing in that direction.

"Let's look if there is a leaver somewhere," Farkas said.


	5. Chapter 5

"Now look what you got you've gotten yourself into. No worries. Just sit tight. I'll find the release."

She was so embarrassed. Usually, her hot temper and restlessness was a good combination – it made her a good warrior as adrenaline was sent through her body. She prepared herself to fight. Sometimes though, it got her into unpleasant situations, but she had never been unable to free herself before. Had this happened without Farkas, she would probably be locked behind the iron bars until death took her. Aurora promised herself to be more carful in the future.

Farkas was just about to turn around when a group of people came at him from one of the vaults and surrounded him. Everything happened so fast.

"It's time to die, dog!" a male voice yelled.

There were many of them, four or five. Aurora stumbled backwards towards the wall. She had preferred to be in Farkas situation. She knew how to fight enemies, but she had never been locked out from the action, forced to be a mere witness. She did not know what to do.

"We knew you'd be coming here. Your mistake, Companion." A blond man gritted his teeth. He was bent forwards with his sword prepared. Aurora was disgusted. His teeth were uneven and yellow, and he held his weapon as if Farkas was some kind of monster. The weapon. It was unusually shiny. Silver perhaps. Why would the sword be of silver?

"Which one is that?" said a woman, looking at Farkas. Apparently, they had not met before, but she spoke of him as if he was part of a kin.

"It doesn't matter. He wears that armour, he dies," a male voice ordered.

"Killing your will make for an _excellent_ story," said the woman with an evil grin.

Farkas turned his head. One side of his upper lip was raised and showed a canine. His body language indeed reminded of a dog's. "Aye, but none of you will be alive to tell it."

The woman raised her sword over her head and ran towards Farkas who easily blocked the attack. The brute force sent her to the floor a few yards away. That aggravated the rest of the attackers, and they all came running towards Farkas. Aurora held her breath. He was strong, but there were so many of them. They were too close, Farkas could not possibly have the time to...

Aurora already stood with the back pressed against the wall, but what she saw made her press even harder. He became even larger. His arms grew a fur, his chest pressed hard against the links of his armour, tearing it apart. It only took a few seconds before his broken armour was thrown to the floor with a loud bang. He had turned into a werewolf.

Aurora's look went from the beast's back, down towards his tail and tree stump sized paws. He had become at least two feet taller, presenting a fearsome frame.

His enemies jerked in horror as he with a single movement of his arm took down two of them, throwing them against the walls – killing them instantly. One of the men tried to attack him from the side, but it made no difference. Five seconds later, he too was dead.

The beast calmly walked into the vault from where the group had come. A moment later, Aurora was free. She gingerly walked forward, prepared for a potential surprise, but she needed not bother. Farkas emerged in his human form. Naked.

He was not shy about his body, and there was no need. Aurora did not even try to be discrete. Her eyes first fell at his calves. They were more muscular than the average man's, but at the same time, very slim. His legs were not too hairy, but just the way Aurora liked it. Once reaching his thigh, her heart started to pump a lot faster. The shadows made the indentations caused by his muscles more pronounced. She realised that the circumference of his upper thigh was about the same as her waist. Even without his armour, he was huge.

It was impossible not to notice that she was ogling him. Her eyes were wide open and her lips separated. Her breathing was heavy. Farkas, much like other Nords, was not shy about walking around naked, but when he noticed that his blood was starting to pump to the wrong place, he quickly hid his manhood behind his hands. She was probably scared enough already. No need to frighten the poor girl more than necessary. Two sides of him had begun to fight for dominance – the beast had seen the woman and wanted her. He wanted to feel her flesh in his firm grip, he wanted to... No, thought Farkas. This was not the time. If took a lot of willpower, but he managed to tame the animal. Upon doing so, he had become very aware about the nakedness of his body. He did his best to hide the half-aroused limb and walked up to her, hoping that she would raise her look.

"I hope I didn't scare you," he said while lowering his head, catching her look and forcing it upwards.

Aurora shook her head to clear her thoughts. She blushed. How could she be so indiscrete? Well, it was obvious that Farkas was a looker, but she had given it away. He must have noticed how she... Damn him! He was so attractive, it was not her fault that she... Every woman must have... She quickly remembered what happened some minutes ago when she felt his gaze. Oh, no. He was tense. She needed to say something – now. "Uhm... What was that?"

That was the moment he had been awaiting. "It's a blessing given to some of us. We can be like wild beasts. Fearsome."

Auroras mood changed quickly. In an upset tone she asked "You are going to make me a werewolf?!"

"Oh, no. Only the Circle have the beastblood. Prove your honour to be a Companion."

"But you..."

"We should keep moving. I need to find some clothes. Still the Draugr to worry about. We can talk about this later." With that, the conversation ended. Aurora felt that there would be no point trying to make him explain everything now.

Farkas looked at the dead Silver Hands. Sadly, all of them were too blody to be looted. He would have to find new clothes further on.

They continued through the vault in the middle, from where the foes had come. Two women stood in the junction. Stood, before Aurora had her go at them. Farkas placed himself with the back towards Aurora and started to undress the fallen enemies, taking one shirt and putting it on himself, using the other as a loincloth. That was the plan at least. He knew that he would look ridiculous, but was happy to make Aurora laugh.

She groaned when he got dressed. He had bent over, revealing his perfect, round bottom. Once again, she found it hard to focus. She imagined how it would feel to squeeze his buttocks, pressing them closer to her... Once more, her heart skipped a beat and she felt the warmth building up inside her. If she could just...

"Aurora!" He had jumped unexpectedly.

She still had her eyes half open. "Mm... what?"

"You are touching my ass."

"Mm... " She opened her eyes fully and realised the bizarre situation. Farkas still stood bent over, with his back towards her, but looking at the woman groping his buttocks. "Oh! I'm... I don't know what to... I'm so sorry!"

"I don't mind you doing that, so no need to go on a surprise attack," he smiled, "but do reconsider your choice of location."

Aurora smiled cheekily. "If you don't want to be touched, stop showing off that body of yours. You can not expect a woman to resist a temptation like that."

Further down the corridor, Aurora saw a new door, which she opened carefully. Better safe than sorry, she thought. The new room was full of smoke. It was uncomfortable to breathe, so she spared no time and hurried forwards. Another new door led her towards an attacker and a stair took her and Farkas to an upper level. Three closed tombs were laid out in the middle.

Farkas followed the woman closely. She was eager to prove her abilities. He liked that about her, she was no whelp who let him do the job for her. Yes, he liked that girl. The woman. He liked her witful comments, but he enjoyed the looks she gave him even more.

"Hey! Watch out, Farkas!"

An arrow had been fired. It did not hit anything or anyone, but revealed the presence of a nearby enemy. Aurora prepared an arrow and smoothly shot one of the Draugrs.

Farkas stormed the room with his greatsword raised. In a single stab, he took down two Draugrs. The third fell to another arrow fired by Aurora.

They passed a new corridor. This place was endless, Aurora thought. They had been there for hours, yet still no sign of the fragment. Luckily, Farkas said that it probably was not far.

They turned to a new corridor with a trap on the floor. Farkas saw it first and warned Aurora. There, finally! At the end of the hallway, there was an iron door.

"Dustman's crypt," Farkas said. "Let's go."

They passed two halls with more pillars and tombs. Aurora had grown tired of the place. Every new room looked exactly like the old one.

A narrow path led them directly to a giant spider. It spat some green slime, but Aurora was too quick. Whilst Farkas stood in a corner, she had run around the spider and attacked from behind. She did not feel like teasing him – she just wanted this mission to be over with.

The crypt led them to a small waterfall. Aurora spotted something dark behind it. A door! It must not be far now, she thought. Confidently, she ran forwards without noticing that Farkas was involved in a fight with two Draugrs.

"A little help, perhaps?!" Farkas yelled.

Aurora rushed to his rescue. He had already taken down one on his own, but the second one proved to be tougher. She repeatedly stabbed the creature in the back as Farkas fought it from the front.

"I've never seen big ones like these. What are they?" Aurora groaned.

"Draugr deathlords," Farkas responded.

With a final stab, Farkas slayed the creature. Aurora swept away some sweat from her forehead and casted an "Are you ok?"- look on Farkas. He nodded and walked up to the door.

The moment the door opened, a sound was heard. A Draugr stepped out of its tomb. Farkas signalled that he would take care of it. Aurora noticed that there were about a dozen tombs, probably containing creatures similar or alike the one fighting Farkas. She decided to stop the creatures as early as possible, running from tomb to tomb and crushing their heads with her sword. She only had time to use this tactic on half of them before they started to attack Farkas. She ran up to him, and back to back, they fought off the rest of the Draugrs.

When the last one fell, Farkas ran to the table on a stage like elevation. "The fragment, Aurora! Here it is!"

Her focus was on the wall behind it. She could hear a choir pronouncing some words she did not know. The closer she got, the stronger were the voiced. Once she stepped close enough, it hit her like a wave.

"Talos the mighty! Talos the unerring! Talos the unassailable! To you we give praise!"

"Oh, quiet, you" Aurora thought as she and Farkas walked up the stairs to Jorrvaskr. The trip back had been tiresome. Not many words had been exchanged between them.

By the entrance, Aurora could see a figure, but not yet who it was. Darkness had fallen some hours ago.

"We've been awaiting your return", the man said. Vilkas.

"We have the fragment, brother."

Even in the dark, Aurora could see how Vilkas' look changed. However, he did not utter a word except "Follow me".

He brought them to the courtyard, where the members of the group had gathered in a circle.

"Brothers and sisters of the Circle, today we welcome a new soul into our mortal fold. This woman has endured, has challenged, and has shown her valour. Who will speak for her?" Kodlak's voice was strong.

"I stand witness to the courage of the soul before us," Farkas said.

"Would you raise your shield in her defence?"

"I would stand at her back, that the world might never overtake us."

Aurora was overwhelmed by Farkas' choice of words. They were strong, compassionate and...

"And would you raise your sword in her honour?"

"It stands ready to beat the blood out of her foes."

Vilkas threw his brother a cold and surprised look. His lips formed "You are overdoing it."

"And would you raise a mug in her name?"

"I would lead the song of triumph as our mead hall revelled in her stories."

Vilkas itched his head. What was his brother jibber about?

"Then the judgement of this Circle is complete. Her heart beats with fury and courage that have united the Companions since the days of the distant green summers. Let it beat with ours, that the mountains may echo and our enemies may tremble at the call."


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Aurora woke up in the whelps' quarters. Her body felt heavy and unresponsive. Oh morning, why did you have to come so soon? She opened her eyes and immediately felt her head aching.

"Hungover, ey?" Aurora squinted. Njada was standing next to her bed, bending forwards. The woman's eyes were wide open and smiling.

"Go away..."

Njada laughed as the woman next to her tried to shoo her away by gesticulated with one hand, covering her eyes with the other arm.

"Quite a party last night."

Aurora tried to lift herself up but only managed to support herself on her elbows. Njada's eyes beamed with anticipation.

"So, tell me!"

"Tell you what?" she moaned. "My head feels like it's going to split in two any second now..."

"Come on, you can tell me." Njada's expression changed to the serious spectrum.

"To be honest, I don't remember so much about last night..."

"Oh..." She sighed. "Oh!" Her eyes widened.

"Alright... you are scaring me. What did I do?" Aurora started to get worked up about the situation. She could not remember anything from the night before, and forcing herself to think only made the headache worse.

Njada had left the room giggling. It was not like her to do that. Thinking it would be best to get up as soon as possible to find out the reason to Njada's strange reaction, she got dressed.

She noticed that she was wearing random pieces of clothing. One sock was on her foot, the other was nowhere to be found. Her armour was not in the room, and it took a while before she realised that the reason to why her arm movement was constrained was that it was not placed through the hole of the shirt.

Putting on a light leather jacket and a pair of shoes, she looked in the mirror standing on an end table in the back of the room. Her long, chocolate coloured hair was a mess, but she had not the energy to do something about it.

Instead, she decided to go up to the hall and have breakfast. Walking up the stairs, she met Aela. The woman stopped Aurora and signalled to make her come closer.

"Are you alright, shield-sister?" Aela looked concerned.

"Yeah, just a bit hungover."

"Good! Good." A small smile appeared on the woman. She was just about to continue down the stairs when she noticed that her new shield-sister seemed confused.

A feeling of panic had washed over Aurora. She had probably done something indecent yesterday, but she had no idea what. Had she embarrassed herself in front of everyone? On her first night as a full member?

"Uhm... May I ask what happened last night?" Aurora asked with a concerned look. Her eyebrows were wrinkled.

"What not happened would be a better question. You really know how to party hard, girl. Half of the night, you were standing on the table, drinking and dancing. The rest of the night you were either in Farkas' lap or his mouth."

"Oh..." she sighed. Yep, she had embarrassed herself. Alcohol together with good-looking men was bound to cause some dishonour to her reputation.

"The two of you took off to Farkas' room, and you were rather... loud."

"Did I... sleep with him?"

"Sounded more as if he was killing you, to be honest," Aela laughed. "We had to knock on the door and ask if everything was ok with you. That was about the time Farkas passed out. We had Vilkas carrying you over to your own quarters, thinking it would scare you less in the morning than waking up next to a man you barely know... or remember."

Aurora moaned and hid her face in her hands. "I am so embarrassed."

"Don't worry about it. We have all done... similar things."

"Thank you, Aela." Aurora continued up the stairs.

The hall was empty, and the light falling in from the windows revealed that it was nearly midday. The others had already eaten their second meal, so Aurora found some soup on one of the tables. She sat down and ate, hoping that the food would ease her headache.

When she finished her second bowl, Aurora heard heavy steps coming from the stairs. Farkas.

He was almost dragging his legs behind him as he emerged. He too, was in terrible condition.

"Slept well?" Aurora asked him. He looked like a mess with his shoulder-length hair in a scruffy tail.

"Yeah, but my head is killing me." He sounded newly awaken.

"Here, have some soup. It helped me to some extent at least." Aurora reached him a bowl. He took it slowly, as to minimalize his movements.

"Think I had company over for the night," Farkas suddenly noted.

"Yeah... I think that was me."

"Damn, I did well." "Too bad I can't remember it though."

Aurora flirtingly laughed and searched for eye contact. "That's as good, apparently it sounded as you were killing me."

Farkas let out a silent groan that tumbled in his chest. He shook his head slightly.

"Bet you gave me a good fight then."

Silence followed that comment. The aura got somewhat tense around him. The woman watched as he brought the spoon towards his mouth with one hand placed on the table. Taking out the spoon and pointing it at Aurora, he asked:

"Were we... intimate last night?"

Aurora laughed and hushed at him with her hand. "Based on how I woke up today, I highly doubt it."

"Strange... I woke up naked..."

"Not strange at all, brother. The rags you used as shirt and... skirt are lying in that corner, where you sent them flying last night." Vilkas had walked in through the courtyard door. His look was dark as he watched his shield-siblings dine. Sweat was running from his forehead and dirt covered his arms.

"You were dancing on a table and spinning the rags in circles, making a fool of yourself." He flung his greatsword over the left shoulder.

Aurora and Farkas had laughed when imagined Farkas performing the things Vilkas spoke of. Vilkas had just turned his eyes in a silent complaint and walked closer.

"But I guess you deserve it after bringing back the fragment..." Aurora's least favourite brother said, smirking at her. He leant his sword towards the wall and came closer and closer with a relaxed gait, placed his hands far apart in front of Aurora, slightly bending over the table.

"Can you imagine what luck you had? We have been looking for that fragment _everywhere,_ then a whelp just found it thanks to a tip no one thought would pay off." Vilkas smirk died out and was replaced with a bitten lip. His eyes narrowed as he looked coldly at the woman.

"You did not believe that I would get it to you?" Aurora narrowed her eyes too, competing against the man in front of her.

"Frankly, it was a suicide mission no one wanted. And we would not mind sending some whelp to her grave. It would be no big loss."

"And Farkas, why did you send...?" She needed not finish the sentence before she realised. "Oh, in case of it being true, you had to protect it, making sure I did not just leave with it."

Vilkas raised his eyebrows in a bored manner. Aurora felt a strong urge to punch that bastard in the face. Her blood boiled with anger and one of her eyes started to twitch. Upon noticing this, Vilkas smiled and walked away.

To Aurora's surprise, Farkas had gotten up and run towards Vilkas.

"Hey, why does no one ever tell me anything around this place?"

"You needed not be informed."

"I think I had the right to know! Or what, do you thing that I'm not smart enough? You and Kodlak have your little chats, but me – no one cares about telling _me_."

"Brother, this is not the time," Vilkas said with his eyes fixed at Aurora. He then proceeded with whispering something to his brother, who seemed to accept it.

What a sly bastard, Aurora thought.

She knocked on the door to Farkas room. It took a while for him to answer, and when he did, he was not decent. He had wrapped a towel around his waist, drying his hair with another.

"Oh, Aurora. What are you doing here?" He took a step closer to her.

Standing in the doorway and looking at the handsome man in front of her made Aurora short of words. She had meant to inform him that she was going out to run some errands, one of them being purchasing him a new set of armour. Since it was due to her stupidity that he had lost his old one, it would only be fair if she compensated for it. When the woman got herself together she said:

"I am going to the Jarl today, and wish to replace that armour you had. Since the Skyforge is on the way..."

With a determined grip around Aurora's waist, he had pulled her inside and shut the door behind them. He bent down to place his lips softly against hers. Aurora felt one of his hands firmly holding her neck and the other at the back of her waist. The heat of his bare skin pressed tightly against her made her heart jump even more than the kiss itself. It only lasted a few moments, but made her knees shake with expectation and nervousness. As he opened his eyes and straightened his back, Farkas looked directly in her eyes with a grin spreading across his face. When he stood there, without bending to meet her, the top of her head did not even reach his shoulders. Aurora placed her hands on his torso and admired it. Gently, and still looking in his eyes, she let her hand sink towards the towel. As her palm reached the edge of the cloth, he quickly gripped her wrists. He held it so tensely that it almost hurt. The man's eyes were closed and his forehead wrinkled. His breath was deep and fast.

"You should get going," Farkas suddenly whispered. He let go of her arm and took a step back.

Aurora was confused, but had no other option than to obey his command. As she walked through the door, she was still somewhat dizzy and shaken. It took a while to calm down enough to be able to continue through the corridor.

Still thinking about what had happened, Aurora nearly walked straight into Ria in the whelps' quarters.

"Oh, Aurora, hi!"

Aurora just nodded and forced a smile. She lay down on her bed and removed the belt holding her jacket in place with brute force by arching her back. Ria looked confused, but did not ask anything.

Pondering about Farkas' actions, Aurora suddenly smiled. It was a nice kiss. Nothing she had ever experienced before. She liked how decisively the man had held her in his arms, and Aurora enjoyed the sheer size of him. Standing close to him really put things in perspective. He was not just tall. He was huge. Aurora had never considered herself as short, but Farkas just dwarfed her. His arms were strong and capable of neutralising her had he wanted. Aurora liked the kick she got from thinking about that – a man that could take what he wanted. Farkas was her male equivalent.

But he had stopped her. Why? Based on what they had been informed about the night before, Farkas was not a particularly moralising man. He had kissed her the night before and taken her to his room. Why then not let her have her way with him? She had made him aroused, she could sense that, but he had not let her continue. She saw no other explanation than that he did not want her, for one reason or another. Well, she thought, she wanted him, but she would never fight for a man. If he did not want her, that was his loss.

Aurora opened her eyes and saw Ria packing some kind of sack. Her shield-sister was dressed in her leather armour and had a bow on her back. Strange. Ria was more of a swordswoman...

"Why are you packing equipment for a sleepover in the forest?" Aurora asked.

Ria turned around and tried to hide a smile. Her cheeks were blushing and her eyes dared not look into Aurora's.

"I'm going out hunting with Vilkas. He invited me to join him."

Aurora had to hide her chuckle and keep a straight face.

"With Vilkas? Alright..."

Ria had not noticed Aurora's patronising tone. Her look revealed that she was somewhere in her own mind.

"Yes, he is gorgeous, isn't he?"

Aurora could not hide her laughter anymore. She was literally rolling around in bed, holding her arms around the stomach. Ria blushed even more and hurried away. It made Aurora feel a little guilty – she guessed everyone had their own preferences, yet she could not stop laughing. Ria cared for Vilkas. Vilkas of all people!

When finally getting out of bed, Aurora hurried towards the Skyforge. She found Eorlund, gave him 250 septims and ordered him to craft a new armour in Farkas' size. She then hurried towards Dragonsreach.


	7. Chapter 7

A dragon. A dragon in Whiterun. She could not believe it. It was like those damn creatures were following her. First Helgen, now this.

Aurora had recovered from the night before, but her muscles were still aching after the retrieval of the fragment. Even so, Irileth had insisted that Aurora would help her and the town with slaying the dragon that dared to fly over the Jarl's land. Being a true warrior, Aurora could not refuse.

The Jarl's housecarl ran with Aurora and some guards towards the watchtower. Pieces of the stone structure was falling apart, and the area around it was on fire, but a dragon was nowhere to be seen.

Irileth turned to Aurora and the men: "No sign of any dragon right now, but it sure looks like he's been here. I know it looks bad, but we've got to figure out what happened. And if the dragon is still skulking around somewhere. Spread out and look for survivors. We need to know what we're dealing with." The Dunmer looked concerned to say the least. She was tough, though.

Aurora looked at the tower. There was something there... A figure, standing on the stairs leading to the watchtower. She bent her knees and ran, looking up on the sky to have time to prepare, would a dragon appear.

"No. Get back!" A petrified guard yelled and signalled with his arms. "It's still here somewhere! Hroki and Tor just got grabbed when they tried to make a run for it!"

Just as the guard finished his sentence, a terrifying noise was heard. A dragon came flying from behind the hills south of Whiterun. It was huge. An elegant, greenish dragon flew around the tower. Aurora immediately threw herself to the ground as the dragon spat fire at them.

Lying on the stairs, Aurora looked at the man next to her. Dirt covered his frightened face. His armour would not protect him from the dragon's lethal fire breath. On the other hand, neither would hers. At least she was wearing her leather armour – steel would not make it a sauna, would the dragon have a go at her.

As the dragon passed, Aurora got up and prepared her bow. The dragon had landed some twenty yards away from her. The first arrow hit its back, but seemed to make no harm. Irileth was struggling, casting magic on it from the side.

It did not take long before the dragon understood the situation and went for the sky. With it circling around in the air, Aurora could not do much. She was not a particularly good archer and missed most of the time. No, she would boldly attack it with her sword.

Placing the bow on her back, Aurora took her sword and shield and waited for the dragon to land.

It was weaker now than before. As Irileth protected herself with some form of magic shield, Aurora went for the side of the dragon. Neatly, she sneaked up to its wings and ran under it, cutting it on the run.

The beast reacted by turning its head towards its torturer and breathing fire on her, but Aurora raised her shield. It took fire, but had protected her. Throwing the burning wood to the ground, Aurora once again ran towards the dragon. It was very weak by now. The woman raised the sword over her head and held it with both hands. Now, a single slash would do.

Just as Aurora was about to hit the dragon with a final blow, she heard it yell: "Dovahkiin! No!"

It was over. The dragon collapsed at her feet. Aurora hurried to take a few steps back to avoid getting the dragon's neck on her. Suddenly, she felt a warmth surrounding her. Strings of light came from the dragon to her, creating some sort of wall around the woman and the beast. As suddenly as it began, it disappeared.

Aurora turned around to the guards, who were steering at her in shock.

"I can't believe it! You're... Dragonborn," one of them said.

"Dragonborn? What do you mean?" Aurora could not understand their shock.

"In the very oldest tales, back from when there still were dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn would slay dragons and steal their power. That's what you did, isn't it? Absorbed the dragon's power?"

"I don't know what happened to me," the woman answered.

"There's only one way to find out. Try to Shout... According to the old legends, only the Dragonborn can Shout without training, the way the dragons do."

Shout? Everyone could shout, could they not?

"Dragonborn? What are you talking about?" she asked instead.

Another guard came closer. "That's right! My grandfather used to tell stories about the Dragonborn. Those born with dragonblood in 'em. Like old Tiber Septim himself."

"I've never heard of Tiber Septim killing any dragons," another one said. He seemed more renunciative than the other.

"There weren't any dragons then, idiot. They're just coming back now for the first time in... forever. But the old tales tell of a Dragonborn who could kill dragons and steal their power. You must be one!"

A third one turned to the housecarl, who until now had stood there, quietly observing Aurora. "Come on, Irileth; tell us, do you believe in this Dragonborn business?"

"That was the hastiest fight I've ever been in, and I've been in more than a few. I don't know about this Dragonborn business, but I'm sure glad you're with us," she said to Aurora.

The Imperial was still thinking about what the guards had said. A Shout? For some reason, the woman saw a three-letter word. FUS...

"FUS!" she yelled, sending out a wall of raw force. The look on the guards' faces told that something was wrong.

"That was Shouting, what you just did! Must be. You really are Dragonborn, then..."

Aurora could not think for the entire trip back to Whiterun. As she passed people on the streets, they were all staring at her, whispering something to one another. When the Dragonborn walked up the stairs to the Wind District, the ground started to shake and some sort of call was heard. She did not understand it, but assumed it had something to do with her. She should better get to the Jarl as soon as possible.

"Good. You are finally here. The Jarl's been waiting for you," a man said.

Aurora saw a blond man on a throne. He was nervously anticipating an answer from the woman.

"So what happened at the watchtower? Was there a dragon there?"

"The watchtower was destroyed, but we killed the dragon," Aurora said.

"I knew I could count on Irileth. But there must be more to it than that."

Aurora took a few seconds to ponder his words. Then she said:

"As it turns out, I may be something called 'Dragonborn'"

"Dragonborn?" The Jarl raised himself a few inches. "What do you know about the Dragonborn?"

"When the dragon died, I absorbed some kind of power from it."

The Jarl looked at her with pure shock in his eyes. "So it's true. The greybeards really were summoning you."

"The Greybeards?"

"Masters of the Way of the Voice. They live in seclusion high on the slopes of the Throat of the World."

"What do these Greybeards want with me?"

"The Dragonborn is said to be uniquely gifted in the Voice – the ability to focus your vital essence into a Thu'um, or a Shout. If you really are Dragonborn, they can teach you how to use your gift."

* * *

**This was a rather short chapter, but I had to get Dragonborn into the picture somehow. The next part will focus on the Dragonborn/Brynjolf/Vipir and some tension with Vilkas. I would like to thank everyone that reads this story as it means a lot to me. I'm very excited about this and determined to finish it.**


	8. Chapter 8

It took almost two fortnights for Aurora to return to the Companions. That was about the same time it took her to accept the change of events in her life and destiny. When completing the quest of retrieving the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller for the Greybeards, Aurora had met a Blades member, and together with her killed another dragon. Twice she had walked up the 7,000 steps to High Hrothgar, defeating a frost troll and countless wolves and bears. After almost a month of no rest, she was exhausted when she stepped into Jorrvaskr for the first time in what to her seemed like ages.

After telling the story to the Companions present in the hall, Aurora went straight to the whelps' quarters and fell asleep. She did not have any dreams that night. The woman was mentally and physically tired of travelling and defeating enemies. Delphine, the Breton woman whom Aurora had met on the journey wished for her to join the Blades and stay with her, but Aurora explained to her of the duties she had to the Companions and promised to aid her in the future, would Delphine just call for her. Reluctantly, the Breton agreed.

As Aurora woke up the next morning, she noticed that things were mostly as usual. It appeared as if no time had passed since her departure, but she had mistaken the situation. The fling she had with Farkas seemed to be over. He did not give her the dirty looks he had before and neither did he invite her to join him in anything. He barely spoke to her at all that morning.

Aurora had met him in the corridor the morning after her return. She expected him to hug her welcome, but he just nodded as to acknowledge her existence. During the midday meal, he took seat next to his brother, with whom he was engaged in a meaningless conversation about Vilkas' new weapon – a war axe. At least the rest of the group was happy with Aurora's return. Aela had announced that a drinking party would take place in the night, and Skjor had backed up her proclamation by walking to the meadery and buying a barrel of drink. Njada was eager to her about the Dragonborn's adventures, which set the topic for the left side of the table.

After the meal, Aurora requested some training from Aela, which she gladly promised. The Dragonborn walked down to the sleeping quarters and took her brand new bow, which had been a looted item. Thinking that it would be meaningless to take a bath before the training, she chose her leather armour and got dressed.

"You are doing it wrong. Here, you have to bend your neck to aim." The huntress fired an arrow that hit the target perfectly, and then turned to Aurora.

The Dragonborn raised the bow and prepared an arrow. She was not as useless in archery as she was in magic, but neither had she the talent Aela possessed. Short distances were not a problem – many Draugrs and wolves had fallen to her hand in battle. Aurora's tactic was always to sneak up on a target until she was close enough to fire or stab the enemy, but Aela wished to train her to a hunter. As it turned out, Aurora had used the wrong approach all her life, and now had to pay the price. It took hard work to change her habits.

"Closer, good. Can you feel the difference now? You are not only in control of the instrument – it is a part of you."

Aurora had to admire Aela's patience with her. Normally, she would not tolerate such a slow learner, but with her shield-sister, it was fine.

The arrow hit fairly close to its intended target and Aela proudly announced that it would do for the day. As the huntress and Aurora walked towards the target to retrieve the fired arrows, the Dragonborn turned towards her shield-sister.

"I've been meaning to ask you. Has Farkas said anything about me?"

Aela stopped and turned her gaze on Aurora. With a sigh, she took the younger woman's arms.

"Farkas is a good man, but he does not take relationships too seriously."

Aurora nodded in relief. She had worried about him and how he would handle her sudden disappearance. Perhaps it had been somewhat stupid of her. Farkas was an attractive man with a good reputation, he could have any woman. He was not Vipir.

She ran down the stairs and turned right in the corridor. Her eyes were set on his room, and did not notice him sitting in a chair next to Vilkas.

"Aurora!" she heard his familiar voice utter.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she stopped, almost tipping over due to the speed. Farkas seemed to be in good spirits.

"I've been meaning to talk to you." He stood up and took a step closer to her. "Not here, let's go to my room."

As Farkas led the way, Aurora noticed Vilkas' unpleasant look. Thankfully, he quickly decided to look another way as he realised that Aurora observed him.

As she passed the doorway, Farkas sat down on the bed. Aurora closed the door and waited for further instructions. She felt uneasy about the situation, but wanted to have the necessary talk over with.

"Sit down..."

She did as she was told and chose a spot fairly close to the man. Aurora looked at him. Even though he was calm, he struggled with the words. It took a few moments for him to find a starting point.

"I was told about why you left. I understand your choice, but why didn't you tell me?" Hurt and disappointment were clearly visible in his face.

"I can't handle goodbyes," Aurora answered silently. She bent her head as to apologise.

"You told Kodlak."

"I am sorry, Farkas, but I could not tell you. I was in shock."

He sighed. "No one ever tells me anything. My brother insists that it isn't because of me being an icebrain, but it's getting hard to believe."

"No, Farkas. You are not stupid, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

He understood what the woman was thinking of. She was taking it harder than him... "No matter, they are all my kin, but I would like being informed about important events." He placed a finger under Aurora's chin and raised her head. "Especially from you."

"Why so? You care about me?" Aurora smiled cheekily.

Farkas' finger was still touching the woman. He slowly caressed her jawline. "Won't lie, I do."

Aurora felt her heart beating faster in the chest. "In what way?"

Farkas went quiet but continued to move his hand. It passed her temple and dug deep into her dark hair. "You are my shield-sister."

"Is that everything I am to you?"

He stopped his hand and looked at her with an uncertain smile. After a few seconds of intense thinking, he removed his hand altogether and leaned back from her.

"Sorry, I did not mean to put you in an uncomfortable position..." Aurora let go of his gaze.

"Hey, what's important is that you are back, safe and sound. Everyone is happy about that." The man tried to relax and change position but the result was somewhat uncomfortable. All these movements, he thought, they ruined the entire situation. His left leg was falling asleep.

"Not Vilkas," Aurora said and simpered.

"Well, Vilkas is a bastard," Farkas said and bent somewhat forward to get closer to the woman.

"You do realise the irony in calling your twin brother a bastard, don't you?"

Farkas laughed and placed his hands on Aurora's cheeks. With a slight pull, he took her closer and softly kissed her. The moment seemed to last a lifetime – how his soft lips gripped hers and pressed. She felt his warm breath. By the nine, he smelled so good, and his stubble... It tenderly tickled her skin, making her so aware about his masculinity. Farkas drew his hands through her hair, pulling slightly. His hands almost covered the entire side of her head, and Aurora felt that they had a nice warmth to them. As he withdrew, he said:

"I promised that I would meet someone. Have to get moving."

What? He had completely destroyed the moment. It took a few moments for Aurora to reset. Who was he meeting? Were they not supposed to drink tonight, with the rest of the Companions?

"Who are you meeting?"

Farkas had already gotten up and walked up to a wardrobe. He pulled out the top drawer and started to look for something. Without turning around, he spoke: "Ysolda."

A feeling of betrayal went through Aurora. "A woman? Then what was the kiss just about?"

"As I said, I care for you." Farkas had turned to face her as he took on his leather armour.

That made no sense to her. Still sitting on the bed and observing Farkas for any clues in his body language, Aurora let out a somewhat angry "Where does this leave us?"

"Friends," he said flirtingly.

Farkas took a few steps towards the door. As he turned around, he jokingly pointed at the woman.

"And _you_ should take a shower."

Aurora scrubbed her skin with soap. She wished to smell nicely at the drinking session the same night. People would gather there, perhaps a man was needed to fulfil her needs. She was not sure about whether if Farkas would turn up at the gathering or not, but wished to look and smell her best if he would. The woman did not know what to feel about the Ysolda business. The signals he sent were so differing from each other. He had kissed her before going out to meet another woman – why? Perhaps he wanted a no strings relationship with his shield-sister. Would she like that? Perhaps. Honestly? Maybe not. She was unsure.

It had felt good, the kiss, but not as passionate as it once was. His heart rate had not increased significantly, but on the other hand, neither had hers. A little, but not as much as before. She still felt something for him, though. She liked the kind soul he was and enjoyed the flirting. Oh, the frustration. Never had she been in this position before, it was always her who was in Farkas' shoes.

Aurora got up and wrapped a towel around her. The warm skin felt soft and clean. A nice feeling indeed. She decided that her leather armour would do for the evening, as she could not be bothered about dresses with corsets and a million knots and buttons.

As the Imperial reached the hall, a bard was already playing music on his lute, the tables were full of empty cups and the Companions were drinking and laughing. Aurora looked across the room and saw Vilkas, Kodlak, Njada, Ria, Aela, Skjor, Athis... but no Farkas. He would probably stay the night at Ysolda's then. The Imperial was disappointed. They needed not be lovers to show one another that they cared. Farkas preferred to be with some woman he barely knew rather than celebrate Aurora's return. Well, to Oblivion with him, she would enjoy her evening no matter what.

Aela smiled and raised her hand in a gesture for Aurora to come closer. The huntress' breath smelled of alcohol already and Skjor was throwing protective gazes around her.

"Shield-sister! Come join us in this feast!"

Aurora took a seat next to the woman and took a cupful of mead from a barrow behind her. With a loud "bang", her cup collided with Aela's and spilled a lot of its content. The huntress laughed loudly and turned to Skjor.

Aurora had a few drinks and spent the evening talking to different members of the Companions. None of them were too persistent, but she felt that she had caught up with everyone. Well, almost everyone.

The barrows were nearly empty when Aurora returned to Aela and Skjor's table. Aela was drunk beyond sanity and let everyone around her know that. Skjor was laughing at and together with his lover who was telling funny stories about hunting failures. The air inside the hall had become increasingly sultry, and the temperature was rising by the hour. Even Vilkas seemed to enjoy himself.

"I'm going out for a walk," Aurora said to Aela. The noise was so loud that Aurora almost had to yell. She did not know if the huntress would remember it for long, but at least she raised her hand as to acknowledge the information she was given.

Aurora hurried outside through the main doors. It was dark, but the air was chilly. It took some minutes for her to recover from the air inside the hall. Meanwhile, she looked at the sky. The moon was full and stars were shining. Nearly completely clear sky. Oh, the wonders of Tamriel. How beautiful it was in the night.

She decided to walk around for a bit. Lights from inside the houses softly lit up the ground. Aurora walked down the stairs and through the Wind District. Dragonsreach looked mighty from where she stood, and so did the rooftops of the other houses. The woman slowly walked towards the walls and turned left, passing the blacksmith and The Drunken Huntsman. Suddenly a figure appeared from behind Breezehome, the empty house close to the town entrance. He was dressed in black and had a hood covering his features, but the size of his body revealed that it was a man. The man must be a stranger, Aurora thought. As he got closer, he suddenly stopped.

"Aurora."

The man removed his hood and showed a surprised look. Aurora could not believe it.

"Vipir."

* * *

**Alright folks, the next chapter is going to have some explicit scenes and a lot of drama. Be prepared ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

"What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same question." His voice bore traces of hurt, surprise and shock.

Aurora blankly looked at him. "I'm with the Companions."

"A warrior then."

"Always been."

Vipir went quiet. He could not yet encompass the fact that she stood there, before his eyes. After all these months of regret and despair. The woman he would sell his soul for to possess.

What about you?" Aurora broke the silence.

Vipir's eyes jumped slightly. He was obviously sunken in his own thoughts before she spoke again. "Doing a job here in Whiterun," he said coldly.

"I see."

Once again the quietness fell around them. Aurora was waiting for him to ask it. She could really read his face like an open book.

"Why did you...?"

"Please, Vipir. I can't handle this right now. I am sorry that I hurt you, and..."

He bent forward and kissed her. Aurora was not expecting that to happen, but she remembered those lips. They were full and soft, and as usual, hungrily nipped at hers. Aurora had not missed them, but they were a nice surprise. As he withdrew, the woman realised that she was not especially aroused. The situation was passionless. Apparently, Vipir thought otherwise.

"Let's go to my room. I'm staying at the inn."

They walked there in silence. Aurora was not too sure about what she was doing. The sex would be meaningless and could on its height bring her some temporary pleasure in the form of an orgasm, which she probably would have to take care of by herself. Now she remembered why she used to go to Bryn – the sex with him was absolutely amazing. Why had she even been with Vipir? She must have been desperate. Not that he was not a good person, he was – he made people laugh and he was friendly, but at the same time inconceivably stupid. She remembered the time he told her about why people call him "the Fleet". Incredibly ridiculous story about him and Vex on a quest in Windhelm, almost getting caught, running to Riften and realising he had left a horse outside of the stables. Idiot.

No matter. She could need some right now. Even though Vipir was not good in bed he contributed with all that was necessary. A male body that was rather sweet to look at. He was not a Farkas, but he was still strong and masculine. The veins on his arms were clearly visible, Aurora remembered.

They walked in to the Bannered Mare and quickly moved across the hall towards the stairs. There were some people there, but Aurora did not really notice.

As they got inside, Vipir closed the door and started to undress the woman. Aurora kissed his neck. He smelled nicely, she thought, but he was in need of a shower. A bit disappointed, she unbuttoned his leather armour. She was clean and would probably remain so. Sleeping with Vipir did not really extort sweat.

As she stood naked in front of him, he grinned widely. Aurora did not, but got up on the bed. He laid himself over her and kissed her neck. She loved to the weight of a man on her, regardless of who it was. The woman took a firm grip of Vipir's hair and pulled him to her mouth. It did not take long for the man to force Aurora's lips open and insert his tongue. For the first time, her heart jumped. The man took a firm grip around the woman's breast with one hand, and let the other one caress her stomach.

She liked the feeling of being touched. Soon, she placed one of her hands on his and led it towards the inside of her thigh. Vipir drove her legs apart and laid straight on her. She could feel his warm, hard manhood on her mons veneris. He pressed closer to her, rubbing himself against the soft body beneath him. It built up a tension that was hard for her to resist. She wanted to be filled.

Clutching the shaft with her hand, she drew it inside. Oh, that feeling of being complete, not having an empty space inside of her. It was good. A smile broke out on her face and she bent her head backwards in pleasure.

"Do you like it?" She opened her eyes to see a sweaty Vipir moving back and forth above her. The ends of his hair had stuck together, and straws were sticking against his face.

"Be quiet," she said with an annoyed tone.

"You are beautiful, Aurora."

"Would you just shut your mouth and take me properly?"

Oh no. His expression changed. He bit his teeth, wrinkled his forehead and started to groan. Aurora pushed him out and away from her. That bastard, he had no plans on pulling out.

He tried to take it all in his hand, but was lacking time. Part of his ejaculation came on her stomach. Aurora looked at it with disgust, but tried not to show too much of it. She had no intentions of hurting his feelings.

"Did you enjoy it?" he asked with a smile.

Yes, for about a minute before you could not last any longer, she thought, but remained silent for a while. A few seconds later, she gave him an indifferent "Yes".

Vipir did not notice, so he continued. He took a few steps back from the bed and dried his hand on a towel lying on a chair. "I never thought I'd have this much fun going to Whiterun with Brynjolf."

So Brynjolf was here?! In Whiterun. The Gods knew she missed that man. Why was he here? Was it some kind of job he was doing? Probably. It did not matter. He was here, that was the important thing. Aurora had not really thought about it during her time with the Companions, but now everything suddenly came at her. Oh, Brynjolf. Her closest friend. The man she always could rely on, who always listened to her problems and gave good advice when needed.

"I have to go now. I told my fellow Companions I'd only go out for a walk," Aurora lied. Well, it was only a half-lie.

"Aurora." Vipir searched for her gaze as she got dressed. He enjoyed looking at her naked body. Her breasts were not full, but still ok. Her arms were long and slim, as were her legs. A few scars covered parts of her body, making it look a bit masculine. She was not the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but she was surely the most attractive one. Nord men liked a woman who could defend herself, even if it took some from her femininity. "Will I see you again?" he asked with a worried tone.

"Yes, I believe that I will stay here in Skyrim for a while longer. But I have to go now, sorry!"

Aurora jumped to hold her balance as she put the last shoe on, then hurried down the stairs and looked around in the hall. There was a lot of people, but she could not make out Brynjolf's steady figure anywhere. A bard was playing in the middle of the hall, close to the fire pit. Drunk men with women in their laps, loners in the corners – some looking like hunters, others may have been Stormcloaks. As the woman took a few steps closer to the fire pit, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Looking for me, lass?"

She turned around. Brynjolf. Throwing herself in his arms, she hugged him tightly. He was lifting her with his arms firmly around her waist. Aurora buried her nose in his neck and took a deep breath. Ah, that familiar smell of Brynjolf. It always made her feel safe. Not from the problems of life, but rather from her own thoughts.

Brynjolf noticed that the woman in his arms refused to let go of him. He silently asked her:

"How are you, lass? Is something troubling you?"

She arched her back to be able to see him. Her hands were placed on the man's chest. Looking in his eyes, she sighed:

"Just life."

"Hm..." He groaned and put her down. He let one hand caress her cheek. "Remember when you used to come to me with your concerns?" His eyes were half closed as he looked at the woman in front of him. She was about a head shorter than him.

"Which was quite a lot," she softly laughed.

His scent was breath taking. So was his smile. She ogled him. He wore the same leather armour he always had, with two pieces of leather going diagonally from his shoulders to the waist and meeting at the back. On one, there were three pockets, perfect for a thief. A double belt ranged around his waist, attaching the sheath to his dagger. The man's shoulders were muscular and reminded of Farkas body, but in a slightly smaller scale.

"I trust the solution could be applicable on any type of problem," he said with a deep, erotic voice.

She kissed him passionately. Her heart rate escalated to the point when she almost started to feel butterflies in her stomach like someone newly in love. It had been ages since she last felt like this. Gods, ages had passed since she last took a man, not considering Vipir of course, but due to him failing miserably at holding on, it could not count.

The man's beard reminded her about his masculinity. Oh, she loved men like him – muscular, somewhat hairy and with a indescribable scent. When he breathed, a wind of warm air hit her upper lip, causing shivers on her back. It felt perfect, like it should.

Suddenly, a loud whisper was heard from above.

"Aurora."

Vipir had gotten dressed and gone out to the stairs. The look on his face broke Aurora's heart. Hurt and betrayal. No other words could describe what he must have felt.

He slowly walked down the stairs, staring at the woman of his dreams in the arms of his boss. He placed his feet sideways on the steps.

"I can't believe it... have you always...?"

Aurora hoped that the people in the hall would not notice the awkward situation. She realised what it must have seemed like. Luckily, the volume was high enough for the folks to remain oblivious to the scene played out in front of them.

"Vipir..."

Aurora took a step back from Brynjolf, closer to the descending Vipir. Her movements were uneasy when she tried to calm him down by gesturing with her hands.

"No, I want to know. When we were a couple..." Vipir's voice was desperate. His mouth was slightly opened and his eyes stared blankly at her.

She did not want to hurt him further, but at the same time, she would have to remain true to herself. Aurora had not tricked him, and she would not allow him to get away with such a claim. She was in no way an adulteress. They had not promised one another _anything_.

"Vipir, we were _never _a couple! I told you from the start that I didn't want anything committing..." she said calmly.

"I thought you'd change your mind!" he almost yelled. "How silly of me. I guess a harlot will always remain one." His tone was calmer, but the anger clearly showed. Vipir hurried down from the stairs, hitting the woman's shoulder in the run as he exit the building.

Brynjolf looked at Aurora, as did some people around them. She had tears in her eyes, waiting to rain down on her cheeks. She felt awful, even though she felt that she had no reason to feel guilty. Perhaps a little for not telling Vipir about Brynjolf, but they were not a couple. Tonilia did not tell Verkel about her lover, and they were far more serious than Aurora and Vipir ever were. No, Vipir had let his fantasy run amok when it came to their 'relationship'. She had no reason to feel guilty, yet she did.

Seeing the troubled woman, Brynjolf took her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Hey, lass. Come here."

* * *

**Thank all of you who read this story, and especially to you who follow, favourite or review it. I'm very happy to know that you read and enjoy it. Next chapter will probably be up tomorrow, so I will warn you now – there will be somewhat "hard core" sex in it (not that there could be much of it in that setting and age, but still). If you for some reason don't wish to read about that, skip about half of the page. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

He pressed her closer to him. The light fell softly on his naked body, giving it a goldish glow. Brynjolf's arms were wrapped around the woman, holding her firmly. His eyes were closed as he kissed her gently and slowly. His full lips softly nipped at hers. The warm breath touched her philtrum as it escaped his nostrils, bringing his scent with it. Aurora was completely calm.

They had kissed for a long while before she opened his mouth with her tongue. She touched his with such a manner as to command it to follow back to her mouth. As he did so, his heart rate increased considerably. Aurora could hear it – it was like a silent drum inside his chest, trying to break free.

She took a step away from him and let her gaze go from his mouth to the chest, her hands following the movement of the eyes. His neck seemed too short for his body, an illusion caused by the pumped muscles in the shoulder area. He was not as strong as she remembered him, but assumed that was due to seeing Farkas undressed. That man really dwarfed all the others. It did not matter, though. Brynjolf was brawny compared to other men, even by Nord standards, but most importantly, the two of them had a connection that was difficult to describe. She loved him affectionately, and was equally attracted to him. Others had married for less, but somehow, he bored her at times. She could never see herself by his side forever, in this life and in Sovngarde. However, Brynjolf never bored her in bed. In fact, he had taught her most of what she knew. Meeting him was to open a whole new world of pleasure. She had bedded men before him, but never experienced a man with the same rawness to him as Brynjolf. He combined pain and pleasure to unbearable levels and made her come like no one else ever managed to.

Aurora sat down on the edge of the bed and placed the man in front of her. How she loved that familiar strong smell of his manhood. She looked at it with admiration. Brynjolf's cock was not the longest she ever experienced, but it was thick at the bottom of the shaft. The foreskin was drawn back and revealed a red, moist glans, and the pumping of his blood made the shaft jerk slightly at every beat.

The woman looked up at him and noticed that he still was in the romantic mood. He smiled a little and looked at her. That would not do. She wanted him to be more than just aroused before she would let him do something to her. It had been a long time since she had interesting sex, and she would not let Brynjolf, her only source of excitement walk away without pleasing her completely. Teasingly, she took his erected manhood and started kissing and licking the top of it. Brynjolf groaned slightly, but still had his arms hanging to the sides. Aurora played with her tongue at the area just below the glans, where his foreskin stuck to the shaft. She could feel his pulse with her lips. The large vein forced his manhood up and down in sync with his heart. He was losing himself, she could tell. His back was arched to push his hips closer to her, and by that asking her to take him in her mouth.

The woman did not obey immediately. Instead, she let her tongue slide towards his testicles, leaving behind a trace of wetness along his shaft. Gently sucking them, she suddenly noticed his hands take a firm grip of her hair and steering her towards his manhood. Now she had him where she wanted. He did not care about anything in the world; the only important thing was the fantasy he was living out with the woman.

He pressed her head back and forth. His gently grip had hardened and become aggressive. Every other woman he had been with would have been terrified of what he did, but not this one. She let him have his way with her and started to feel blood streaming to her lower parts. It was very arousing to have him in that position. His breath was loud, his hands desperate and soul completely alive. Aurora could barely breathe – so intensive were his movements.

The woman let her teeth scrape against his shaft. Brynjolf was completely enraptured. She bit it to excite herself.

When she mentally had him exactly where she wanted, she broke free from his hands. He had been arching his spine and thrown the head back with his eyes closed, but now he looked at her again. The sudden change of intensity could only mean one thing. He wanted her.

The woman lay with her back down. He crawled towards her, smoothly and slowly. His gaze was set on her like a tiger on a prey.

"Your lips are temptation," he whispered as he positioned himself on her. He gently bit her neck, causing a redness to appear. Her smell was fresh and her skin soft, as after a bath. Brynjolf could not believe his luck that he once again, perhaps for the last time, would be able to satisfy her. The thought of it was wonderful.

Aurora turned them both around so that she was on top and took a firm grip around his manhood with one hand, pressing on the area behind his penis with the other.

"Resurrect me," Brynjolf begged. He knew what pleasure awaited him if he could get her to do what he wanted.

Aurora penetrated him with two fingers. It did not take long before she found the hard button she was looking for. Massaging it made Brynjolf's erection go from hard to rock solid. He could not even understand how he could have such a strong erection without bursting blood vessels. He got an incredible sensation of her finger being inside his manhood. Even though she was not even touching it, it almost brought him to climax. It was an unimaginable feeling he knew he could only get from her. It felt like a fiery explosion of pleasure. His entire body shook due to her massaging.

Aurora started to pull her hand up and down on Brynjolf's shaft. She felt it spasm in her hand and noticed a single drop of pre-cum. The woman took Brynjolf's hand, and removed the white fluid with one of his fingers. She then proceeded with taking it in her mouth, licking his finger.

At that point, Brynjolf could withstand for another minute.

He wanted to wear her, to taste her inside and out. He pulled her closer to him and forced her body closer to him. With a tight hold of her hips, he penetrated her. His face was almost as red as his hair when she started moving up and down. The feeling of her warm inside rubbing against his manhood was almost too much for him. How he loved that moment. That first moment when she had not yet stretched completely and tightly squeezed him. Her inside was narrow for a few more pushes before her body adapted itself after him.

"Take the whip," he commanded her. It was a silent, wet confession for his love of pain. He could rarely climax with just penetration. His body required more than that.

She looked around and saw a belt lying on the table next to the bed. The woman took it in her right hand and prepared. With a 'swish' it went through the air and cut deep into Bryn's skin, leaving behind a trace. The snap felt cold against his skin – it was as if a piece of ice was pressed tightly against him. The next hit him just below the nipple. He had to bite his teeth together to resist the urge of shouting. The pain aroused him almost as much as Aurora massaging his prostate. He loved to be beaten and the thought of just being a submissive slave to her needs. He knew she needed him as much as he wanted her, and was happy to lend her his manhood. He trusted her completely with it.

She slapped his wrists to let go of the bedframe he held in a firm grip. He curled up in the bed, but could not escape her beatings. Never had he felt so alive. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins, causing primitive instincts to take over. It was if he was in a fight or flee position. The man felt the tension building up in his lower regions. It would not take long before his entire body would wish to pump his seed into her. With that in mind, the lovers once again switched places. Brynjolf laid on top of her, placing his entire weight on her. The man started to aggressively push his manhood as far in as it got. He had such a good technique that made size almost irrelevant, but it still hurt her. He was not oblivious to her pain though – he knew she enjoyed it. Brynjolf too enjoyed pushing so hard that she would be unable to walk properly for a day or two.

He placed his right hand on the inside of her thigh, and pinched her harshly. With the same motion, he pressed her legs further apart and roughly forced his penis in and out of her. He was high on adrenaline, and could not think about anything but the act he was taking part in at the moment. Aurora's forehead was wrinkled, but he did not know if it was due to pain or pleasure. Neither could he care. He was exploding with life and peacefulness to the mind. Only a few penetrations later, he came.

Brynjolf did not pull out, but preferred to come inside her. It gave him a kick knowing he could impregnate her. She was making some half-hearted attempts to push him away, but Brynjolf was persistent. He used his weight to force her down and accept his cum. He could feel how it came out of him, shooting deep into her. He no longer knew if it was his arousal or the thought of coming in her that made him continue.

When he finally started to think clearly, he realised that he would have to make up for it. He pulled out and placed his head between her legs, examining her labia. Her hole was still stretched and he could see right into her. It almost managed to excite him again. White fluid was seen dripping out of her. Oh, Gods! It was such an erotic view. He had done that to her. _He_.

He bent down and started to lick her, tasting the mix of his and her fluids. What an incredible sensation. He loved the way she tasted down there. Brynjolf let his tongue examine her inner labia, teasingly touching her. She loved what was to come more than the actual intercourse itself. Aurora started to feel how she isolated herself from the world. She could not think, just barely breathe. Brynjolf sure knew what he was doing. Her blood rushed towards her lower regions, as Brynjolf noticed. Her vessels were pumping hard enough for him to feel it with his tongue.

"Violate me!" she eagerly whispered to him.

She was becoming ready. He let two of his fingers form an arrow and inserted it in her, pressing against her clit with the other. He loved to see her stretch, and had a front seat view of it. It only took a few moments to warm her up enough to insert most of his hand in her. Well inside, he slowly gathered his fingers and formed a fist. Aurora was arching her back and spreading her legs even further apart. Her breathing was fast and deep. The woman covered her face with a pillow to hide her screams of pleasure. It only excited Brynjolf more. He barely had to move his arm. In fact, there was no place to move it. He had reached as far in as he could. Therefore, he quickly moved it slightly back and forth. Her climax was unbearable. The man felt how her muscles pressed against his hand as she came. It was a sensational feeling as she was stretched to the limit, causing the spasms to appear stone hard.

When it was over, he gently pulled out his hand and lay down next to her. Only now did he noticed how his muscles hurt from the work, and his skin from the whip.

"I always slept much better after you beating me up properly," Brynjolf laughed. His body ached and his mind was exhausted. They laid there in silence; Aurora almost falling asleep and Brynjolf thinking about the woman next to him. How happy he had been some two months ago. Apparently, she was not. He had noticed the change in her towards the end. She was like one of those former adventurers that had taken an arrow to the knee. She was definitely happier here. The role of a warrior also suited her better than the one of a thief.

"When you first kissed me, remember it? We'd only known one another for three days or so, but you completely fucked holes in my being with that kiss," he said after a while.

" You are my closest friend, Bryn," she mumbled.

"A friend who shares the sack when it gets lonely." He said it in a very alarming manner. As if it was something bad.

"Do you find it destructive?" Aurora worried.

Brynjolf supported himself on one of his arms and caressed Aurora's shoulder. As he did so, goose bumps spread across the woman's back.

"At times. When I could not bear the thought of losing you. There are still moments when I regret that I did not ask for your hand in marriage."

"What?" Shocked, Aurora turned around only to find a completely relaxed man. He touched her arm as to tell her to calm down.

"Don't worry, lass. Reality caught up. We wouldn't be a good couple. Cheating. One day you'd realise how old I really am and run away with a fresh stallion, abandoning me. Besides, I was only ever your mistress," Brynjolf laughed.

"You brought me to my knees. I've never experienced such great love making as I did with you." Aurora was sincere. Brynjolf was a god in the sack.

"I've lived a full life. I've had my fair share of time to explore mind-blowing sex."

"You are not that old."

"I'm twice your age, lass."

She was somewhat disappointed that the conversation ended there. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, but she could not figure out where to start. He was her best friend. The first genuinely good-hearted man she had met. Aurora got up closer to him.

"How is it with Tonilia?"

"That's just sex. Mostly about her insecurity with Verkel. I could never be completely relaxed with her. Always worried I'd forget that she wasn't you."

"Still lovers, then?"

"Not as much anymore, but a man has his needs."

Once again the pair went quiet. Aurora threw a look to the window. It was very late by now. No lights were seen outside, meaning that people had gone to bed a while ago.

"How long will you stay here?" She asked him.

"The thought was to leave the day after tomorrow, but I think Vipir left already. I should get moving too. I believe that we will have a midday meal together tomorrow. I'll leave after that."

"Will you stay here, lass?" he asked. The question had more to it than it might appear as.

"For a while. I feel some sort of belonging here. To this town, to these people."

"But?"

"These are volatile times."

Aurora got up and dragged herself homeward. She felt a nice tiredness in her body. Like after a quest or a workout. Almost as if she had accomplished something. The way back to the Companions was not long, so it only took her a few moments before she stood in front of the house with a boat for a roof. The Imperial opened the door and got inside. The hall was warm in every aspect – colour wise and in temperature. A fire pit casted a soft light on the walls. This felt like home, yet not a home a grown woman would build for herself, much more like a childhood one.

"I need not ask where you have been," a voice was heard. Vilkas stood on the stairs, leaning on the rail. "There is scent from not only one, but two men on you." He almost sounded impressed, but the sleaziness of it made Aurora's skin crawl.

She did not think long before quickly moving towards the man and slapping him hard on the cheek. Her eyes shone with anger. There was no need for words. Her choice of action and the look in her eyes told it all.

Damn him, that wolf. Their senses were stronger than human ones. She would have to take a shower if she did not wish everyone in the Circle to notice in the morning. On the other hand, what did it matter? Vilkas would probably tell everyone anyway. Even though it was none of their business.


	11. Chapter 11

Aurora woke up early that morning considering how long she had been up the night before. Her body felt strong and her mind alert, but she was still half-awake. Sitting up, she noticed that some Ria's things were gone. The other woman was reading a book in her bed.

"Good morning, shield-sister," Njada said with her usual hard tone as she noticed that Aurora had woken up.

Aurora tried to get out of bed but decided to stay and let her body get used to being awake.

"Where is Ria?"

"She's out with Vilkas again."

Again? Had they made it a habit to go out and hunt together? It was obvious what was going on. She could understand Vilkas – Ria was a nice lass, always positive and willing to learn. Vilkas, on the other hand, was a complete jerk towards most people. Aurora could only patronise Ria. Had she no other choice? On the other hand, she had blushed when asked about him. Perhaps they indeed were having a relationship.

"Aela is looking for you, by the way. Said it was important," Njada said after a while.

Aurora suddenly felt very energetic and quickly got out of bed. She was needed somewhere, and she would not miss a chance to prove her abilities once again. The woman chose the heavy armour for this round. It was almost becoming a second skin to her, but it had been a while since she last wore it. It was somewhat less confortable than she remembered it to be, but Aurora did not complain. Running up the stairs, she immediately saw the huntress on the other side of the hall. Aurora walked up to the table and grabbed an apple and continued towards Aela.

"I want you to talk to Skjor, he has a job for you." She took Aurora's arm and dragged the woman with her. They went through the front door, where after the huntress gestured with her hand for Aurora to walk up to the Skyforge.

Aurora did as commanded and walked up the stairs leading to Eorlund's forge, looking out on the horizon as she did so. The weather was cloudy but warm, as most days in the town. A certain calmness lay on Whiterun and its citizens. The people seemed unusually inactive around the marketplace, making Aurora believe that this was going to be a rather boring day for a citizen. There was also rain in the air, so there would be even less people to speak to outside in a while. She loved the silence and calmness of Whiterun in this weather, as well as the nuance of sadness there was to it. It was also simply perfect if one wore armour. The woman did not enjoy the stickiness of warm metal against her undergarments and skin.

In the blink of an eye, she was almost thrown backwards. Aurora collided with the descending Skjor. He seemed as surprised as she did, but quickly recovered and grabbed Aurora before she had time to fall backwards. The apple slid out of her hand and started its journey downwards.

"Meet me by the Underforge tonight," he whispered as he held her by the elbows. As quickly as he had caught her, he let go of the woman and continued walking down the stairs. Good, Aurora thought. That way she had more time to spend with Brynjolf before his departure.

She let him reach the main doors before she hurried down the stairs and looked at her apple. It was intact but a bit dusty. She looked around to see if anyone was close by before she bent down to reach the fruit, blew on in and took a bite.

With breakfast accomplished, she continued towards the town's first district. As she set her foot inside of the Bannered Mare, she immediately saw Lydia by a table close to Aurora. Oh, she thought. She had almost forgotten about having that thing after her.

"Good day to you, my Thane," Lydia said in her usual manner.

Aurora was not completely comfortable about having a housecarl. She did not really know what she would be good for. Aurora always went on missions by herself or with a shield-sibling and there just was no room for a follower. Also, it started to become rather expensive having her living at the inn. 10 septims per day added up to an armour a month. Upon Aurora's journey to the Greybeards, the Dragonborn had given Lydia enough for sack and food, but the gold was probably running low in her purse.

"Yes, yes, Lydia. Good day to you too," she said in a hurry as she searched the hall for the red-haired man. Brynjolf stood by the stairs and greeted his friend with a smile. He wore his usual leather apparel in which he looked amazing. He embodied manliness, Aurora thought.

Brynjolf had his hands in the trouser pockets as he leisurely leaned against the fence. He had a cheekiness to him that just made Aurora's day.

"Let's have a meal," he said, still grinning.

Aurora nodded and led the way towards Hulda. Brynjolf followed closely and put a protective hand on Aurora's back. She enjoyed the way he was towards her. What a gentleman.

"Two soups, please," Aurora ordered as they approached the bar.

"With beer," Brynjolf added.

Aurora gave him a jokingly unsatisfied look. He smiled at her and pulled the woman closer to him, making Aurora giggle hysterically. She loved the way he made her behave – like a childish young girl. Brynjolf managed to make her, a warrior who had been through a lot in life, blush and laugh like there were no worries in the world.

Aurora managed to pay six septims and looked around to search for a free table. The hall was rather empty, to her joy. It was probably the weather's fault that most Whiterun citizens decided to do something at home instead. She found a table in the far left corner and took the man there.

As they sat down in opposite sides of the table, Brynjolf took her arm and pulled her forwards.

"How are you, lass?" His face was not worried, but sincere.

"Fine. I'm supposed to go out on some kind of mission tonight, so things could not be better," she said casually. "I feel sorry for Lydia though," she continued and pointed at the woman close to the door with a twitch with her head. "It's hard to be a housecarl if you don't have a house to take care of."

"Lydia? Housecarl?"

"Oh yes, I forgot to mention that didn't I? I'm Thane of Whiterun nowadays." The woman laughed friendly as she said so.

"You little bastard! Almost nobility now," Brynjolf answered as he clapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Too good to be seen with the riff-raff, are you?" He laughed and blinked with one eye.

Aurora smiled teasingly and moved closer. "You forgot Dragonborn."

Brynjolf's reaction was not as surprised as expected. In fact, he barely showed anything at all. Aurora had expected some disbelief or at least amazement, but the man showed nothing.

"Ay, I always knew there was something special about you, lass," he said after a while.

The dialogue silenced. Aurora searched for clues in the eyes of Brynjolf, and decided to wait for whatever he would say next.

"Listen, I brought you this," he said and gave her a purse. "I thought you'd need it."

Aurora took the orange purse in her hand and felt the heavy weight of it. Gold.

"Are you mad?!" she whispered. "Walking around with this amount of gold?"

Brynjolf got even closer as he muttered:

"It's yours anyway. I'll just take some of what you have stored in the Ratway in exchange."

Aurora quickly noticed some movement behind the man. Hulda was bringing their soup, so she stopped the conversation by leaning back and setting her gaze at the old woman.

"Thank you, Bryn," Aurora said when Hulda disappeared. Brynjolf was still looking thoughtful. With an asking head movement, Aurora looked at the man to force him to speak up.

"By the way. Did I understand you correctly when you implied that you'd buy a house? My little adventurer settling down?" Brynjolf was half delighted half concerned.

"Mostly for Lydia's sake. Also, it would be good to have a place to store my belongings in."

"You're staying in Skyrim then?"

"I think I will. I like your land, Nord. Never thought I'd say it, but I prefer the cold to Hammerfell's sandy deserts."

"Spoken like a true Nord. Turns out the Companions have a good influence on you."

"How do you mean?"

"I am grateful to everyone who convinces you to stay in the same land as I live in."

Brynjolf really cared about her and the woman was grateful for having such a person in her life. She almost felt a bit uneasy when thinking about the fact that she had left him so abruptly a few months earlier. Bryn was a good person and a good leader who took care of every individual in the guild, he was needed there, and in a way so was she, but Aurora would not let a one sided dependence deter her from being a carefree adventurer. The guild would and had managed with just Brynjolf. Besides, he had Karlilah now. If she would get a house in Whiterun, she would only be a day's ride from Riften and him. That way, he would know that he could always count on her being a part of his life.

It only took a few minutes to make up her mind before she called for her housecarl.

"Lydia! Please go to the Jarl's steward and purchase a house here in Whiterun for me. This should be enough."

Aurora gave her housecarl the purse Brynjolf had brought and sent her away before she turned to the red-haired man and smiled.

"Now, Bryn, now you don't have a reason not to come over and see me."

Brynjolf laughed as he brought his cup of beer closer to the mouth. "I guess I don't."

As Brynjolf left for Riften, Aurora went towards Dragonsreach to look for Lydia. She did not have to go far as two women met by the Gildergreen. Lydia looked pleased as she showed that there was no purse in her hands anymore.

"Hello, my Thane. The house is called 'Breezehome' and lays next to..."

Aurora held Lydia by the elbows to silence her. "I know which house it is, Lydia. Thank you. Is it furnished?"

"I've arranged for it to be accomplished right away," she said.

Aurora gave her a friendly smile and turned around with her hands on Lydia's shoulders, steering her towards the stairs. "Good. Then you don't have to spend one more night at the inn."

"Oh, I don't mind, my Thane..." Lydia said innocently.

"Of course you don't," Aurora said with some degree of sarcasm that her housecarl did not notice.

Aurora led the way towards Breezehome and noticed that there were already a few of the Jarl's servants carrying furniture inside a small house on the main road. By the time they stepped inside Lydia's face was shining of excitement. There was a bookshelf placed on the right side of the house, as well as some other storage facilities. Aurora realised that she would have to get some books as she was not planning on actually living in the house, and Lydia would be bored if there would be nothing to read. The Dragonborn inspected the ground floor and noticed that there was an alchemy table in a side room. Perhaps she would teach Lydia to make potions that Aurora could use when on an adventure.

"It is perfect," Lydia said. Aurora had not noticed her coming up to her.

"There is even a small room for me on the upper floor, and more chests for you to store stuff in, my Thane."

Aurora nodded and walked up the stairs. It was more of a ladder, but she did not mind. The upper floor was divided into two rooms and a corridor. The room to the left was rather small, but had every necessity, but the master one was huge. The bed was a double one, and the ceiling! The room was too big for one person, Aurora thought. She was used to sleeping in cramped areas, and the sheer space made her nervous. It was not really a room fit for a warrior, but never mind. She would just sleep in Jorrvaskr, even though some privacy from Njada and Ria would be appreciated.

The woman was getting anxious. She wanted to know what the evening would bring and what mission she would go out on. The rest of the day was spent by restlessly walking back and forth from the Gildergreen to Jorrvaskr. The stairs eventually began to kill her thighs, but she did not care. It was better training than to just sit still.

When the sun finally began to set, Aurora impatiently waited by the stairs to the Skyforge. Not a single person was anywhere near her. Impatiently, she waited for Skjor before she saw him close to the Jorrvaskr wall.

"Are you prepared?" He whispered.

"I'm ready for whatever test is next," she said eagerly.

"This is no test, new blood. This is a gift. Come inside."

He pressed on what seemed to be a small stone close to the rock, and with that, a piece of the cliff opened. Nothing could prepare Aurora for the sight in front of her. A werewolf.

"We do this in secret because Kodlak is too busy trying to throw away this great gift we've been granted. He thinks we've been cursed. But we've been blessed. How can something that gives us this kind of prowess be a curse?"

Skjor spoke with an admiration in his voice when he uttered the last sentence, but Aurora did not care. This was the first time she saw another transformed beast. She remembered how Farkas had changed back in the Dustman's cairn. He was very different from the beast in front of Aurora now. It was most certainly Aela that greeted her in the Underforge, for she was somewhat smaller than Farkas had been. Yet it would be best not to underestimate Aela's beast spirit – she was still much taller and bigger than an ordinary Nord.

"So we take matters in our own hands," Skjor continued. "To reach the heights of the Companions, you must join with us in the shared blood of the wolf. Are you prepared to join your spirit with the beast world, friend?"

They had to be kidding. They wanted to make her a werewolf. At first, Aurora was sceptic about the whole thing, but she quickly changed her mind. Skjor was right – being a werewolf gave her immense powers, that if used correctly, would do good for the people of Skyrim.

"I'm ready," she said with a convinced tone.

"Very well," Skjor smiled.

He walked up to the beast and held her by the arm. With a quick movement, he made a cut in it, letting the blood pour into the basin. There was no need of telling Aurora what to do.

She stepped forward and scooped her hand, bringing the warm fluid to her mouth. The smell almost made her throw up, but the woman fought her reflexes and drink until Skjor seemed pleased.

Suddenly, her entire body started to hurt. The last thing she saw was Skjor running up to her and starting to pull the armour off her. Then everything became black.


	12. Chapter 12

As she began to wake up, she realised that she was far from Whiterun. The cold breeze in the air revealed that she was in the Northlands. When Aurora opened her eyes, the surroundings reminded her more about the lands north of Riften, close to Windhelm. She felt cold. Her entire body was shivering.

"Are you awake? I was starting to worr..." Aela cleared her throat as to hide her worry.

The Dragonborn opened her eyes. It was dark outside. The cloud-free sky revealed the universe's beauty to Skyrim's inhabitants. Stars were shining, and the full moon stood there on the heavens in all its pride. A light breeze touched the trees, almost making them sing with it. The snow on the ground blew over the woman. Aurora supported herself on her arms and realised that she was naked.

"I've got your gear here. We had to take it off when you transformed."

Aela handed the woman a sack. The heavy weight of metal armour felt good in her hand. Aurora immediately began to dress herself as she recovered from the ordeal. There was nothing missing. Aela and Skjor even thought of bringing Aurora's bow, for what she was grateful as they were in the middle of nowhere.

"Where the Oblivion are we?" Aurora asked as she was jumping on one foot, pressing the other through her skin-tight leather apparel.

It took a few seconds for Aela to answer. She had been looking out to the left of Aurora. There was nothing obvious to stare at, but Aela was persistent. She squinted her eyes and tried to distinguish something.

"Yours was not an easy transformation, but you're still alive, so congratulations. We even have a celebration planned for you," the huntress said without answering the question properly.

Aela enjoyed her shield-sister's sudden eager look. As the metal armour was in place on Aurora, Aela continued:

"There is a pack of werewolf hunters camped nearby at Gallows Rock – the Silver Hand. I think you've met them before. We're going to slaughter them. All of them," the huntress exclaimed with anger in her tone. "Lead on. Skjor is already scouting ahead."

It felt as this mission was a very unofficial one. Aela and Skjor behaved like unconcerned teenagers sneaking out in the night to seek adventure. Aurora was not so sure about what the twins would think about this, but had no other choice than to continue. She had accepted the gift, and now she bore responsibility for her fellow Circle members.

They headed northwest, jogging. The forest was not as thick here as in the south, making it far easier to navigate. As the two women continued their journey, Aurora, remembering the blackout, asked the huntress:

"What just happened?"

"You were born into the pack, sister. I almost envy you. The first time is always the most... intense. You gave us even more trouble than Farkas did at his first turning."

Farkas. Aurora envied the huntress. Farkas must have been interesting, indeed. With so much muscle even in human form, a newly born werewolf could prove to be a challenge. Aurora realised that Aela and Skjor probably had to hold her back during her turning, which was the reason to the comparison to Farkas. She implied that Aurora was even more difficult than Farkas to control. The sudden realisation brought a sense of pride to her. She, a somewhat tall, but slim woman caused as much worry as the... man tall like a mediocre sized troll at home.

As they progressed through the forest, something man-made appeared before them in the dark.

"Where are we going?" Aurora asked. The fort in front of them looked desolate. She had no idea of where it could be, even though she knew the area around the city rather well – she had been doing some quests for the guild there.

"The Silver Hand have taken over the old fort at Gallows Rock. They always make such easy prey," Aela said. Her blood-thirst was obvious.

Gallows Rock. No bells were ringing inside of Aurora's head. That was obviously a place she had missed. If the Silver Hand resided there, it would mean a lot of new loot. After that house purchase, she was somewhat low on gold. There were some interesting weapons she could sell, but they all had a sentimental value to them. Silver Hands always had some silver ores or bar in their camps to be able to make swords especially effective against werewolves and vampires.

As they reached the first room of the camp, Aurora noticed a terrible smell. A sense of old blood and decomposing meat filled the room. It was rather small, with some small barrels in one corner and a vault straight ahead. Next to it, there was a chain, which Aurora instinctively wanted to pull. After remembering what happened with Farkas, she decided to calm down her eagerness.

As she did so, she noticed that there was a wolf's head on a pike in the middle of the room. With a fast gaze at Aela, she realised that it was bad. Aela felt sorry for her fallen kinsman. After a few seconds of silence, Aela noticed the barred vault.

"Look at this. Cowards must have locked the place down after Skjor charged in." It was with proudness she said it. The huntress clearly respected Skjor. "You can taste the fear," she continued.

Aurora activated the chain, which exposed a narrow corridor leading downwards. There was an area with loads of pillars and wooden armature to support them straight ahead. Aela started to sneak, so Aurora followed suit. It became clear why.

There was a larger room ahead with a person sitting on a chair with his back against the shield-sisters.

The huntress looked at Aurora and pointed at her bow. Aurora gently gripped it and prepared an arrow. With a single shot, the Silver Hand fell.

Aurora rushed inside, and to her surprise, she saw another one. She had no time to shoot him, so she reached for her sword and threw herself to the side to avoid the enemy's blade. It nearly got her, but the woman was quick. With a well-placed hit, she killed him instantly.

Aela addressed her a "well done"-look and began to loot the bodies of the fallen Silver Hands. Aurora followed suit and became a few septims richer. They carried a lot of valuables on them, the Silver Hand. All of them had ingredients that could be difficult to find in a shop.

There was a bench and a table in a corner. Some apples and meat had been served before the arrival of the Companions. Aurora almost got hungry until she noticed what kind of meat it was – there was a huge skeever above the fire pit with pieces missing. That indeed made her lose her appetite.

A chest filled with gold and lockpicks lay next to the fire. Aurora took the lockpicks and gave the septims to a surprised Aela. She had discovered yet another dead werewolf behind a wooden door.

It had been tortured before losing the grip of the string of life. There was dried blood everywhere inside of the cramped closet-like room. The poor fellow's black skin had pieces without fur, probably ripped out by hand.

"Nobody we know, by the smell," Aela said bitterly. Aurora gave her a push on the shoulder and pointed at a closed door.

"It's barred from the other side – I tried," the huntress said.

Then there was no question where to go. They opened a third door, which led through a narrow corridor. It turned to the left and then right right, but before allowing the trespassers continue, the building had its nasty surprises prepared. Two skeevers jumped on Aurora, trying to bite through her armour. Disgusted and somewhat panicking, the woman threw them off. One of them hit the wall, neutralised. The other was pierced by Aurora's sword.

Some stairs led them to a large room. The two women prepared their bows and tiptoed around the corner. Aela signalled that she would take care of a woman sitting by a table. That left Aurora with a larger man on the upper level. Both arrows hit their targets in the head. The man fell to the floor with a loud "bang", unknowingly warning his fellows about the intruders.

Three more came running at them with raised swords. Aela held a distance with her bow raised and an arrow prepared. She stopped one of the Silver Hands whilst Aurora took care of the other two. They were almost too easy. There was no challenge that drove her to improve herself, to focus better. She was so bored that she did not notice the trap door equipped with pikes. Her reflexes were good, though. As soon as she heard that familiar noise of metal threads moving, she jumped backwards, almost pushing the huntress to the ground.

"Hey! Watch it!"

Aurora apologised and hit herself on the thighs. Focus, woman, focus! She would never place her in a similar situation as the time with Farkas again. Finding her harmony, she proceeded forwards with determined steps. She would change her style, becoming more straightforward instead of using the stealth technique.

In the next room, a tall wall divided the space into two. There were a few locked spaces with other werewolves in them.

"Nothing we can do for these ones now. Come on," Aela said.

Aurora led the way forwards with her sword raised. They passed a few haystacks before encountering two archers. They were quickly dealt with and looted of their valuables.

After turning right down some stairs they came across a collapsed wall, leading to a hall with a few other Silver Hands. Aurora barely thought anymore and let her instincts take over. The enemy was making harder resistance as they progressed through the building. Aela was immensely helpful with her bow when in open areas, but when in corridors she did not shoot, as there was a risk of hitting her shield-sister. This made Aurora take initiatives and take command.

On the second floor they came across a handful of tanning racks. There was no need to speak of it as it was obvious what they had been used for. Aela threw an angry look before she followed Aurora through yet another corridor.

Upon turning left and disposing of a new Silver Hand, they reached a door. Aela hastily reached for the handle.

"Can't open it, it's locked."

"Let me try."

Aurora took a lockpick and put it in the lock. It only took her a few tries before the familiar click was heard. Aela looked impressed, but said nothing.

The two Companions quickly ransacked the room before continuing forwards. They walked down some stairs before Aela stopped. It was not far.

"Their leader is a tricky one. They call him 'the Skinner'. I don't think I need to tell you why."

"Good luck to you, shield-sister," Aurora said. The huntress face was serious, and showed a hint of nervousness. She swallowed heavily and stormed forwards.

As they emerged from behind the corner, noises from behind a wooden door were heard. Aurora rushed against the first person she saw whilst Aela positioned herself in the doorway with her bow raised.

There was a scene-like plateau in the middle of the room, and vaults made of stone surrounded it. Two archers aimed at Aurora, who at the time was fighting the Skinner, but were killed by Aela's well-placed arrows.

The Skinner proved to be a much tougher challenge. Even with all of his mates killed, he fought on, and it was a fearsome sight. He had a rather expensive heavy armour, which protected him well from Aurora's desperate swings. The fight for life or death took longer than she had anticipated, mainly because Aela had stopped firing arrows. It would not matter, though. Aurora's determination was strong, and she had him immobilised eventually.

Killing him felt differently now. She enjoyed it; his helplessness as she stood above him with a raised sword, waiting to finish him off. Adrenaline was starting to pump out in her veins. She wanted to tear him, to skin him like he had done to those werewolves.

With far more force than necessary, she decapitated him. Oh how she enjoyed the blood that ran out of him, colouring the floor. Revenge was sweet.

As soon as the feeling had come, it disappeared. Where was Aela? Why had she stopped...?

Aurora found her next to a dead werewolf. Her eyes were closed as she stroke his fur. Aurora slowly approached her shield-sibling.

"Aela?"

"Bastards! Somehow they managed to kill Skjor. He was one of the strongest we had, but numbers can overwhelm." Aurora could tell Aela was devastated. Anger and sorrow drenched her eyes.

"He should not have come without a shield-sibling. Get out of here! I'm going to make sure we got the last of them and see if there is any information to be gotten from the bodies. You and I have work to do. The Silver Hand will tremble at our sight."

The trip back took her two days, but Aela had been back long before her. Aurora figured that she had transformed to do so. Aurora herself did not have too pleasant memories from her turning, so she decided to go back the ordinary way.

The moment she set her foot inside the Companions' hall, a wave of joy swept over her. There they were, the brave men and women she called her shield-siblings. Aurora was exhausted and only wished to go to bed, so she quickly greeted everyone in the hall and hurried to her sleeping quarter.

It was a fantastic feeling to get out of the heavy armour as it had left her with painful blisters on the shoulders. It was like a breeze of fresh air in an over heated compartment, or like elven oil on a sunburn. Aurora did not even bother to put it under her bed – she just threw it on the floor and buried herself under the soft cover.

Njada and Ria were not in there, but their things revealed that they were here in Whiterun, not out on some hunt or mission. Aurora remembered that she had not seen Ria in ages, and that their last encounter ended with an embarrassed Ria running away. Aurora should probably apologise. After all, it was not for her to judge Ria's choice of men. Even if her taste was... questionable.

Speaking of the trolls. Aurora's sense of smell was stronger than ever before, even stronger than she could have imagined some days ago. She felt the scent of Ria outside of the door. It was getting more apparent the closer she was. Aurora waited until she could hear the steps outside of their quarter.

"Ria, listen. Remember when you...?"

The door had been opened by a surprised Vilkas. Aurora lost her words and stared at the man in shock. He had smelled _exactly_ like Ria. She could have betted her sword hand on that. It amazed her how obvious the smell of another person was on someone who recently shared a sack.

Vilkas seemed genuinely surprised and awkward. He too was short of words for a few seconds before he looked around in the room.

"I thought Ria would be here, I'm sorry..." His voice was calm but had a sense of sadness about it.

As he stood in the doorway, the light from the corridor candles exposed him completely, whilst Aurora's features were hidden in the shadows. For the first time, she felt some sort of compassion with him. He seemed tired and down. This was what women saw in him, the mystery, the darkness. It began to fascinate her, purely in a psychological aspect, but still. He did not behave like he used to in front of other people. His entire body language had changed. The arrogance was gone.

"I thought she was with you," Aurora calmly said.

Vilkas stepped inside but left the door open. He was indecisive in his movements – it was clear that he had a hard time deciding how close to come. Aurora sat up and leaned her back against the wall. This gesture gave Vilkas confidence to sit down on the edge of her bed.

Everything was silent. The corridor showed no evidence of life. The rest of the Companions were probably in the hall, as they would be drinking until morning came.

"I heard you went on a little adventure with Aela."

"Yes, we were out... hunting," Aurora responded. She had no reason to tell _him_ anything.

"You don't have to avoid the truth, I am one myself."

How silly she had been. If Farkas was a werewolf, his twin brother probably was too. She looked at Vilkas, and even though there was close to no light at all, she could distinguish his facial features. He seemed thoughtful. After a while, he asked her:

"Why, Aurora? This is something I would not wish upon my worst enemy, and you just... just blindly accepted the curse."

To be honest, she had not thought of it. She had considered it to be her duty to ensure she was always ready to fight off a group of attackers. Even though she had a strong hand, she could end up in difficult situations where the transformation was needed. Not just for victory, but for survival. Obviously, Vilkas had no intentions of sending her on such missions, but it did not mean that Farkas, Aela or Kodlak would not. The Harbinger already had.

"It is my job to ensure the safety of my fellow shield-siblings," Aurora proudly stated.

"Drop the pride!" he snapped. "There are side-effects of that curse that will force you to do undignified things."

Vilkas looked and breathed as he was full of fury. Aurora could feel his heart rate escalating even though they sat some inches away from each other.

"Your anger will be difficult to control, not to mention your wish to slaughter. You are at risk of nursing your inner monster into a cold-blooded killer! Not only that," he continued, "your primal instincts will prove to be a challenge to control. It was a stupid choice, and I'm furious with Aela! She talked you into it without explaining about the consequences, something Skjor had to suffer for."

"Don't blame Aela for doing whatever she can to protect the Companions!"

"She isn't protecting us by taking you out on stupidly unplanned missions, endangering not only herself, but others too."

"You doubt my ability to take care of myself?!"

"After what happened when you were out with my brother, you leave me no other choice."

Now he had made her furious too. No one should question her abilities and talents.

"I made _one_ mistake! I was distracted, had I been alone, I'd never do anything as stupid!"

"Distracted by my brother," Vilkas noted sleazily.

"Don't pretend that Ria never distracted _you_!" Aurora angrily exclaimed. She did not know why she said it really. She subconsciously started to argue with badly sustained arguments.

Vilkas reaction was not the one she expected though. He was caught off guard, almost surprised.

"Ria? What do you mean?"

"Please, I thought it was her coming here. You smell exactly like that future wife of yours. Or perhaps you don't have the decency to marry her, that would be exactly like..."

"This" Vilkas warningly shouted, "is why it is a burden to be a werewolf."

They both went quiet. Vilkas voice was trembling.

"The need to mate (he expressed it with disgust) is the most difficult one to control." He got up and walked towards the door. Turning around he said:

"As if you weren't having a trouble controlling it already."

"Disgusting hound!" Aurora mumbled.

"Aouuu!" Vilkas howled to tease her further, before he quickly had to duck for a boot which came flying at him at alarming speed.

* * *

**Thank you so much for commenting and following. I really enjoy reading what you think about this story.**


	13. Chapter 13

The atmosphere in Jorrvaskr was low for the following days. Everyone grieved over the loss of Skjor, especially Aela who had carried his body across half of Skyrim. If it even was possible, Aurora respected the huntress more after that. She was a woman with pride and honour, as well as compassion. Seeing her tired look worried Aurora, but Kodlak had told her to let Aela grief in peace.

Aela's grief moved Aurora deeply. If she died, who would miss her the same way? Brynjolf? Farkas? The thought was laughable, which also was the reason for Aurora's distress. No one in the whole of Tamriel cared for her the way Skjor and Aela had done for one another. Aela did her best to hide her misery by isolating herself from the other Companions, and the rest kept their distance, as that was what the huntress wished for.

The relationship between Aurora and Farkas did not evolve at all. In fact, he had been spending a lot more time in the bars, probably hooking up with the wenches, as did Vilkas. Aurora had managed to control the need rather well – she was not particularly lecherous at all. In fact, recent events had driven her urge down to zero. Not even the usually attractive mercenaries managed to raise her pulse. She was repulsed by Farkas' nightly visits to questionable quarters of the town. It made her act a lot less friendly towards him.

Vilkas was a bastard as usual, taking every opportunity to criticise Aurora. Even Kodlak noticed it and had a chat with him, but it did not do much difference. He still seemed to believe that her abilities were overrated and Aurora was getting tired of proving herself all the time.

She was reading a book about archery in her room a Fredas when Vilkas walked by. Aela had gone off hunting again. Njada and Ria were gone too and Farkas paid his daily visit to the Drunken Huntsman, leaving the two nemeses alone. Vilkas had been walking around restlessly, trying to figure out something to do. Apparently he had decided on annoying Aurora as he stood in the doorway to her sleeping quarters, thinking about something.

"What is it, Vilkas? Can't come up with anything nasty enough to say?"

"Believe it or not, but I'm bored enough to seek company. Guess you will have to do."

"Gods, that was the nicest thing you ever said to me. I'm almost touched, thank you," she answered with a very annoyed tone as she was trying to finish a chapter.

"So, tell me something." He walked up to the bed and sat down next to Aurora. His face revealed that he was somewhat kind in his attitude, which surprised Aurora.

"Archery." She held her book up to him.

"Too boring," he said whilst taking it from her, placing it on the floor without having a look on it.

Aurora crossed her arms and raised her back a little, looking at Vilkas as if she expected him to do something stupid.

"Oh yes? Well what alternative do you present?

"I was thinking..." He bent slightly closer to her and let his finger caress the woman's thigh. He did it so softly that Aurora almost enjoyed it. "I'm bored, but I have already been working out today..."

He bent forward to smell her upper arm that was exposed as she was wearing a short-sleeved jacket. His nose slightly touched her skin, making goose bumps appear.

"Kodlak's busy planning some new mission..."

The man let his lips press against her arm, leaving behind a small amount of wetness around the area. Aurora felt his heavy breathing. It was a truly intoxicating moment – she had never felt passion this way before, not with Brynjolf, not with anyone.

"All the others are out," he said silently. His voice was incredibly manly with a deep droning in his chest.

Aurora could feel his scent. It would be a nice one, had she not hated the man it came from. His kisses became more intense by the second, making her cringe inside.

He let his hand touch the inside of her thigh, slowly pushing it closer to her crouch. She could not take it anymore. The beast blood made her crave for him, for proximity to another person. Never had she felt that way, every cell of her body commanded her to open up for him.

He was close enough to be able to whisper in her ear, playfully biting the tip of her ear.

"I could be convinced to have you, you know."

The warmth of his breath made her dizzy. Her beast blood continued its fight against her judgement. It was determined to win – her female organ would be filled to whatever cost.

"I know you want it, I can smell your arousal." His hand had reached inside her skirt-like armour and was touching her womanhood. He pressed his thumb against her clit, making circle-movements. The beast within craved control over her. Blood was pumping in her veins like never before and the adrenaline increased the sensation.

"Let me fill you," he begged.

"I despise you with all my heart, have you not noticed?" she whispered with her eyes closed and her head tilted backwards.

"The feeling is mutual, whelp."

"Then why are you doing this?" It was getting difficult to think. The wolf within her manipulated the mind.

"Because a woman is hollow, only ever being complete during intercourse."

As he said the last word, he slowly pressed two fingers to the edge of her entrance. She squeaked and instinctively spread her legs a little further apart. The sensation was wonderful. She could feel the intense pulse in his hands with her lower areas. His hand was warm and curious, exploring her sex.

"Oh, what's in it for you men then?"

"Men are less selfish. We give – you take."

"And you..."

"Hush, woman."

No, it was not right. She would regret it if she did not put a stop to it as soon as possible. With an immense effort, she opened her eyes and looked down at his crouch and let her fingers play slightly with it through the textiles, even though it was difficult to tell what was what due to his leather pants. He closed his eyes anyhow and tilted his head backwards. With a firm grip, she gripped what she guessed were his testicles and made a twist with her hand, making him groan in pain.

With an irritated tone, she whispered:

"Vilkas, would you have the last manhood of Tamriel, I'd still not let you anywhere near me. You simply disgust me."

The man stopped and withdrew his hand from her, looking the woman in the eyes at the same time. He too was having trouble restraining himself, though he wished not to show it.

"As you wish," he smiled as he got up from the bed.

She threw her head back against the wall. Damn, her entire body ached for him. Not him specifically, just for anyone. Stupid beast blood.

She picked up her book as soon as Vilkas left, but could not concentrate at all.

As there was nothing special to do that day, Aurora decided that she would go out to the yard and practice shooting. She would try out a new technique she had learned from the book. After about ten tries, she realised that she had her mind elsewhere. No matter how hard she tried, she could not focus. It was almost as if her body was punishing her for not allowing it to feel the pleasure offered by Vilkas.

At the same time, she felt disgusted by the thought of him having touched her the way he had. At the time it had not seemed so bad, but when she remembered his sleazy expression and hungry eyes, a wave of uneasiness swept over her. She had almost let him use her. There was no other word that could describe it. He would see it as a conquest. It was she who did that – the using bit. No man would ever be allowed to do that to her again, not after Amhed. She was independent and could have any man she liked. Vilkas was not one of them. He just was not.

When she gave up on the day's archery training, Aurora walked towards the stairs leading to the Gildergreen. The tree stood in its usual pink glory, smelling wonderfully. She had barely made it out alive from that sanctuary, Aurora remembered, but it was worth it. It was truly a magnificent creation.

As she sat on a bench below the tree, pondering about her life events, a Nord man came up to her. He wore a skin kaftan with a shirt beneath and a hood and looked tired. A courier, she guessed.

"I was told to deliver this to you," he wearily said as he gave her a letter.

"Thank you. Here you go," Aurora answered and gave him some gold.

He quickly turned around and proceeded towards the Bannered Mare whilst Aurora looked around for other people who potentially could see her reading the letter.

As she decided it safe to open it, she looked at the paper in her hand. The emblem was familiar. Delphine.

_Aurora, I must ask you to meet me in Riverwood as soon as possible. It is too risky to send you the details by post. _

_-You know who_

The woman had said that she would contact Aurora if her help was needed. Finally, something to do, she thought. She quickly got up and ran to Jorrvaskr.

"Kodlak," she said as she tried to catch her breath.

The old man sat by the table just outside of his room. Some maps and other papers lay on it. He looked somewhat concerned.

"I must leave Jorrvaskr for a while to help a friend."

Kodlak looked at her and nodded.

"Go where you are needed, Companion. I think it is for the best."

"What do you mean?"

"Aela wished for you to go with her, but her mind is corrupted by anger right now. She does not make wise decisions and it is better for you to keep out of it."

Aurora knew the man was right, but at the same time she wished to help the huntress instead of going away right then. Anything that made her feel better would be a task for Aurora to take care of. If Aela demanded revenge, Aurora would help her get it.

"What plans does Aela have for me?"

"Care not for that now. Your presence is requested somewhere else, and the Silver Hand will go nowhere."

It was hopeless to try to get some information regarding that matter out of Kodlak. Perhaps it was for the best. Her thoughts and focus had to be on whatever Delphine needed help with.

She went for her sleeping quarters and changed to the heavy armour. Aurora always travelled lightly without tents, food or unnecessary equipment. The only things she brought with her was her sword, shield, bow and some arrows.

In the stairs leading up to the hall, she almost collided with Vilkas as she was running. He calmly stopped before she ran into him, but did not touch the woman.

"Whelp."

"Vilkas! You smell awful! Found someone desperate enough, I take it?"

She was angry with him, and her tone explained it all.

"I don't need to pay for company if that is what you imply," he said calmly.

They both went quiet. She watched him. His apparel was not entirely buttoned, showing off his parts of his chest. Small pearls of sweat were visible in the chest hair. His face was completely neutral though, as if he was going to bed.

"What the Oblivion was that thing earlier?" Aurora said after a while.

"Don't flatter yourself. A man has his needs. The wolf would even consider a giant if it was possible. You would be... slightly better than one."

"Really?" Aurora raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Yeah, you wouldn't try to beat me up with a club," he said as he too raised his brows.

"Don't be so sure."

Vilkas laughed. It was almost a pleasant laughter. Sincere and tranquil. Aurora smiled for coming up with her sneaky response, but also because of the way Vilkas reacted. It was the friendliest she ever saw him.

"You never found a way to satisfy your... needs," he said after a while without judgement.

"I can control it."

"In this case, was it necessary to do so? It is a relief when it's taken care of."

"I'd rather suffer."

He smiled again whilst looking down on her. Her gaze reached his and surprised her with its intensity. It almost burned her, forcing the woman to lower her look to his stomach.

"Anyway, I wanted to inform you about my departure. I'm helping a friend within the Blades."

"I see. Running off to satisfy..."

"Vilkas!" she exclaimed whilst he started to laugh.


	14. Chapter 14

"I'm not going to Solitude on foot! I'm getting sick and tired of walking back and forth all the time." Aurora exclaimed.

"We must not draw attention to ourselves! The Thalmor are everywhere these days. Besides, have you ever been to Solitude?" Delphine asked.

"No, but I've seen most of the middle lands of Skyrim. Listen, we don't have to take a carriage, we can just get two horses and avoid the roads."

"Fine," the older woman answered in a somewhat annoyed tone.

They immediately left the inn and bought two horses. Delphine had a rather large package with her, but Aurora decided against asking her what it would be. The woman always had her reasons, Aurora thought. Horse riding was not a thing Aurora was especially good at, but she quickly understood the basics. From what she could see, Delphine was not an expert either. In fact, she was even worse than the Dragonborn.

"Right, which way are we taking – the over the mountains or around it? You decide, Imperial."

Aurora quickly decided to take the way around them. She wanted to avoid the snow and cold to all costs. Delphine was of Breton blood, and with that came a resistance to frost as High Rock had its colder areas. It was not as effective as the Nord one, but still much better than Aurora's.

It would take just as long to walk around the mountains as to cross them, but without the danger of hypothermia kicking in. Besides, there were no nastier creatures in all of Skyrim than wisps. Well, perhaps Vilkas, but anyway.

Thoughts of him had went through her head all the way to Honningbrew Meadery before Delphine informed her that it would be best if they avoided the roads from then on.

The look they had exchanged when she left, it was just breathtakingly penetrating. She hated what it had done to her and wondered if it had done the same to him. Vilkas was like a brain worm in all its viciousness, making its way into her core. He was a foul person, but at the same time, he was rather interesting. Aurora never thought of it before, but he had some kind of mystery to him. Something had made him that way – dark and decadent. The more she thought of him, the more she felt sorry for her fellow Companion. His brother was open, warm and kind to people. It must be difficult to always compete against him. On the other hand, Vilkas had an impact on people that Farkas did not. They saw past his spitefulness, and by that allowed him to humiliate them. She would never let him do that, Aurora decided a long time ago.

With that thought of, she could finally focus completely on the task Delphine had given her. Breaking into an embassy was indeed exciting work. She seldom had the chance to do work like that after leaving the Guild, and even there, it was never about manipulation as much as sneaking. The older woman had not informed Aurora about the details yet, but she could guess what had to be done.

"Damn, a giant's camp straight ahead," Delphine suddenly exclaimed.

"Wish to take them on or walk around?"

"Girl, we have no time. It's getting dark and we need to find a place to set up camp. Besides, we have to be in Solitude within four days, and how would it be if you showed up on a party for noble people full of scars?"

"You are so boring, Delphine. Fine, we ride around it, but we need to head north to avoid the fort over there. It's populated by bandits, and I guess you won't waste time killing them either."

Delphine gave Aurora an annoyed look and took the lead. They rode for about one and a half miles before the older woman jumped down from her horse and commanded Aurora to do the same. Her knight-sister fastened the horses to a fallen tree and took a packet.

"Here, some bread and apples. We should not make camp fires, so I brought things that need not be heated."

Aurora nodded and took the food. She was not really hungry, even though she had not eaten anything except for a little soup since leaving Jorrvaskr a day ago. The thoughts of her encounter with Vilkas as well as the quest that lay ahead prohibited her from feeling hunger. She fed on adrenaline.

She needed to eat, even though her mind told her otherwise. With some effort, she forced the hard bread and disgusting apple down her throat, after which she found a soft on the grass and went to sleep.

She woke up the next morning feeling cold. It had rained during the night, soaking the sleeves of her leather jacket. The metal armour on the other hand, had protected her from the worst. Aurora undressed and hung the leather to her saddle. Hopefully, it would not take too long to dry.

Delphine was not as lucky. Her leather armour had absorbed everything that rained on her during the night, putting her in a bad mood.

The women saddled their horses and went west. It did not take long before a road came in sight. They had stopped behind a large stone some dozen yards from the hiding place. A group of people walked towards them from the distance with armour that shone slightly even though there was little sunshine due to heavy clouds.

"Thalmor!" Delphine exclaimed and got off her horse.

Aurora quickly did the same and forced it to the ground. Delphine put some kind of spell on the horses that made them unnaturally calm. Their eyes looked as like they were dreaming and their bodies were completely still.

"They have been looking for me for decades now, those bastards!" the older woman whispered. "Look, they have a prisoner with them."

"Should we not just kill them?"

"No, we can't risk it. If one of them gets out alive, he or she will undoubtedly warn others."

"What's with you, Delphine? You've never said no to fights before."

"You don't understand the importance of this, girl. We have to know if the Thalmor are resurrecting those dragons. Killing four or five of them can wait."

As the group came closer, it became clear that the prisoner was a male Nord. He wore rags and his hands were bound. Aurora would not take it, she felt sorry for him. She got up and raised her bow, preparing an arrow.

"Aurora! What are you doing?!" Delphine's voice was worried.

"Quiet!" she whispered.

The first strike hit and killed the woman who led the way. Aurora got down again to hear the confused Thalmor.

"We're under attack!"

Once more, Aurora got up and shot another. It was a deadly hit. By then, the remaining four had noticed her and began to cast destruction spells towards the stone behind which Aurora and Delphine were hiding.

"Cover me!" Aurora yelled.

The older woman took her bow whilst Aurora drew her sword and ran towards the enemy. Delphine fired an arrow that killed a Thalmor who was preparing to cast a spell on the Dragonborn.

"Duck!" Aurora yelled to the prisoner who quickly moved away and lay down on the ground, covering his head with the arms.

The woman raised the sword and buried it deep inside a male elf, losing it in the process. A female attacker used the moment to cut Aurora's upper left arm, producing a meat wound. She yelled in pain and dropped her shield.

"You're as good as dead!" the woman said and raised a dagger.

Aurora jumped to the side, barely missing it. The sheer force made the Thalmor woman bend forward, something which Aurora used to her advantage. Placing her elbow hard on the woman's neck, Aurora neutralised the target. It cracked, and the woman collapsed on the ground.

The Dragonborn rolled over the road, reaching for the sword which had gotten stuck in her previous victim. As she got up, she realised that the last remaining Thalmor was running away from the crime scene at full speed. Aurora quickly got to her horse and yelled to Delphine:

"Make it normal!"

The older woman uttered a few words silently and the horse got up like it had woken up from a night's sleep.

Aurora jumped up on it and set off after the escaped Thalmor. It did not take long for her to catch up with him. As she came close enough, she prepared her sword. He was running for his life, but too slow. The woman beheaded him in one swing of her blade.

They travelled across the steppe without any further special happenings. Delphine was furious about Aurora's wound, but as it was on her left arm, it would not impact her ability to fight. Besides, Delphine had done a great job healing it. A scab had already hardened and covered her wound rather well.

By nightfall they had reached the hills a bit north of Rorikstead. The climate had changed to the colder side, making Aurora freeze. It took a lot of complaining before Delphine agreed to make a fire. When she finally was warm enough to feel her hands she cleaned her sword. As she did so, Delphine was observing her.

"Why did you attack them? I told you not to."

"Because it isn't fair. The poor man was probably innocent, and I will save everyone I can. No man or woman can talk me into acting otherwise."

"The terrain ahead of us is tougher and we have less time getting to Solitude now. Tomorrow we will have to travel faster to reach Dragon Bridge. No Thalmor killing or giant slaying, alright?"

"Can't promise anything," Aurora smiled.

Delphine laughed and pushed Aurora on the shoulder.

"Go to sleep now," the older woman commanded.

Aurora knew that her beast blood prevented her from sleeping more than a few hours, but she agreed anyway. She had slept for a long time the night before, making her stay awake for most of the night.

Delphine, on the other hand fell asleep immediately.

As they set their feet inside of Four Shields Tavern they had already sold the horses. It was dark outside, but not yet night when they got a room. It was Aurora who paid for beds and warm food as Delphine's paranoia prevented her from exposing her face.

They ate at their room. Aurora had cleaned herself with the help of a bucket filled with water and some textiles. Delphine insisted on washing Aurora's hair, explaining that even Elisif the Fair would be at the party. As she was drying it, Delphine informed her about the plans for the next day.

"We will split up. You take the road straight to Solitude and meet up with Malborn at the Winking Skeever. I'll follow the river to the stables, meet me there later."

Morning came quicker than Aurora wished for. She had just gotten tired when it was time to get up. She realised that her internal body clock worked after 48-hour days instead of normal ones.

She braided her hair to strategically get it away from her face whilst still looking proper and glamorous. The trip to Solitude took a few hours on foot and was uneventful. As she stepped inside of Solitude, however, there was a beheading taking place.

Aurora first thought about asking someone what it all was about, but decided against it as Delphine would be angry for any delay. Therefore, she quickly turned her heel and went to the Winking Skeever.

Well inside, she noticed that it was almost empty. The beheading was the obvious reason, she reckoned. Only one man was sitting by a table, so she sat down next to him.

"Our mutual friend sent me."

"Really? You're who she picked?" He looked at her with a nervous gaze. "I hope she knows what she's doing. Here's the deal – I can smuggle some equipment into the embassy for you. Don't plan on bringing anything else in with you – the Thalmor take security very seriously. Give me what you can't live without and I'll make sure to get it into the embassy. The rest is up to you."

She handed him her sword and shield. There was no point taking anything else – a bow would do no good inside of a building. She felt naked without her equipment, with only a bow to defend her. The trip to the stables was not a very long one, though.

Aurora ran towards it at full speed. Delphine was already waiting there looking stressed as the younger woman reached her.

"Have you given Malborn the gear you want to smuggle into the embassy?"

"Yes, Malborn's all set."

"Good. I have your invitation to the party. But the only way you're going to get past the guards is if they really believe you're an invited guest, which makes you need to look the part and not be armed to the teeth. Here, put this on."

She gave Aurora the package she had been carrying since Riverwood. The younger woman opened it and found the most magnificent red dress made of silk.

She quickly undressed and put the dress on. It fitted rather well she thought, but looking on Delphine, she began to doubt it.

"I guess that'll have to do." Delphine looked somewhat doubting. "You should pass for a real guest."


	15. Chapter 15

The weather was awful – cold and dark. Aurora felt sorry for the poor horse that had taken her there in a carriage, making her look like a real lady. The cold made the metal dagger she had received by Delphine freeze her skin by the ankle where it was hidden. The sensation was uncomfortable and made her walk somewhat weirdly. She never wore daggers normally, but this quest required her to do so as the space inside of the embassy was more crowded than inside a cave or out on a steppe.

There were guards everywhere. Aurora did her best to memorise their outpost and quantity, and reckoned that it would be tough to get to the important files unnoticed. If they were this many on the outside – how many more were not in front of her?

As she got off the carriage, Aurora carefully placed the right foot in front of her to avoid exposing the silvery metal by her foot. Damn, those shoes were uncomfortable! Normal boots would have been better, and could have been hidden under her dress...

She went up to the stairs and looked at the guard stationed there. He was wearing the normal Thalmor apparel and holding a torch. He did not look particularly suspecting, which made Aurora gain some confidence.

"Welcome to the Thalmor embassy. Your invitation please?"

She did not say anything, just handed him the invitation whilst standing as far away from him as possible. Aurora put her trust to the Gods that Delphine had done a good job with the invitation. It would be rather difficult to get into the embassy without it, especially since the guards already knew how she looked. She could feel a cold pearl of sweat forming in her forehead. With a discrete movement, she wiped it away as she anxiously waited for the guard to read the paper in his hand. He observed it for a few seconds before letting her continue.

"Thank you, miss."

Aurora walked up the two short sets of stairs and took a deep breath. This was it then. The embassy. It felt good. Lots of adrenaline. Nothing should go wrong from there if she could follow the plan.

The moment she stepped inside, a woman approached her. She had a yellowish skin tone and pointy ears like the rest of the Thalmor skunk. Aurora realised that she had a very mean look on her face and quickly put on a smile. She must have looked ridiculous.

"Welcome. I don't believe we've met. I am Elenwen, the Thalmor ambassador to Skyrim. And you are?"

The Thalmor woman was unpleasant. She reeked of arrogance and cruelty. She probably thought very high of herself.

"My name is Aurora." Somewhat uncomfortably, she added:

"Pleased to meet you."

Elenwen had either not noticed Aurora's displeasure, or she just hid it well, for she quickly proceeded:

"Ah, yes. I remember your name from the guest list. Please, tell me more about yourself. What brings you to this... to Skyrim?"

Oh, damn. She had not thought of some cover-up story. Luckily for her, Malborn helped her out by getting the Thalmor woman's attention.

"What is it, Malborn?"

Aurora was not really listening. She took the opportunity to look around in the hall. Only a few seconds later, Elenwen excused herself.

Damn, damn, damn! Those damn guards were everywhere. As she ran down the mountain, Aurora realised that the trip back to Whiterun would not be a fun one. If Delphine was paranoid on the journey to Solitude, it was nothing compared how she and her Knight-sister felt riding back. They rode without resting for three days before they reached Greenspring Hollow. Exhausted, they nearly fell off their newly purchased horses before Delphine made a fire in the shelter. Aurora took care of the horses, bringing them water and some grass. It did not take long for Delphine to notice the dead body inside of the shelter. Not long after that, a sabre cat attacked Aurora. Her beast blood made it somewhat easier for her to deal with the sleep deprivation, but it was still as if she had not slept for 36 hours.

With her last strength, she managed to pierce the creature with her sword before falling to the ground of exhaustion.

She woke up just outside of the shelter, next to the dead sabre cat. Delphine was still asleep, so Aurora decided to have a look on the surroundings on her own. To her joy, there was no evidence of them being followed by anyone. If they had been, they would probably be dead by now as the shelter was visible from far due to the horses and the fire, and to the fact that neither one of them was up on guard duty that night.

Aurora gathered some berries and brought them to the camp. There was no real need of hunting as they would be in Whiterun the following night. Besides, feeling hunted was not really good for the appetite. She threw some of the berries on Delphine to wake her up. She wanted to leave as soon as possible.

The next day, the women reached Whiterun. It was already dark, so Aurora offered Delphine to stay at Breezehome. The Knight-sister accepted the offer, so Aurora decided that she would go to Jorrvaskr as her bed at Breezehome was taken. Besides, Jorrvaskr was her real home. After asking Lydia to take care of Delphine, Aurora went off to the Companions.

The hall was almost empty; only Aela sat there by herself in a corner, sipping on a glass of mead. As soon as the Imperial set her foot inside of the building, the huntress' eyes turned to her. A smile broke out.

"Been out on an adventure of your own, I take it?"

Aurora laughed slightly at the thought of it.

"Yes, broken into an embassy."

Aela got up and walked closer to her shield-sister with a cunning expression on her face. Aurora was a bit worried about where this conversation was going. Last time she had seen the huntress, she was still grieving Skjor. In her own way – meaning planning revenge.

"I'm sure it's _very_ interesting, but I have something new for you here." The huntress commanded Aurora to come closer before she continued. "You are going to assassinate a Silver Hand leader at Valtheim Towers."

There it came. Aurora was not entirely up for it. She was exhausted and would do anything for two free days at Jorrvaskr.

"It's going to be a two day project," she complained, hoping that Aela would notice her displeasure.

The woman crossed her arms with a very determined look. Clearly, Aela was not giving up.

"Not if you use your beast form."

Aurora sighed.

"Aela..."

"What?"

"I _is_ going to be a two day project, but I'll get to it."

"Fine."

She gave Aurora a smile and turned around. The Imperial was annoyed but too tired to continue to argue against her shield-sister. She just had to do the damn quest then.

Aurora walked down the stairs, dragging her feet behind her. As she opened the door, she was met by darkness. No candles were burning in the corridor, and only a narrow string of light escaped from Farkas room.

Farkas. She had not thought about him for a long time, but suddenly a wave of emotions came over her. She remembered the strange conversation they had a while back, and how he had decided to meet that wench! In all fairness, the woman was probably nice and sweet and all, not really a prostitute, but to Aurora she was. Farkas was no better.

She decided to confront... greet him before going to bed. Aurora had just gripped the door handle when she heard him.

"Finally here?" Farkas asked.

Somewhat shocked, Aurora opened the door. He was laying on the bed, probably reading a book. On second thought, Farkas was not really a reader, and there was no evidence of a book... Wait, why was she even thinking about that?

"Missed me?" she asked in a somewhat unfriendly tone.

He ignored her attitude and just smiled at her, inviting her to him by holding out his arms.

"You have no idea."

Even though the reminder of him with another woman had hurt her, her heart filed with joy as she saw his friendly invitation. Friendly.

She went through the door and placed herself in his lap, but he let go of her after a few seconds, forcing her to sit on the edge of the bed, next to him.

"I never thanked you for that armour, so I want you to know that I'm grateful."

His gaze was overwhelming. It had been too long since her last intimate moments with a man. Both her body and beast spirit longed for proximity. Somewhat stuttering she answered:

"It's nothing. I felt responsible for you having to transform, so it was the right thing to do."

Damn him and his cheeky smile! He did not say anything, just stared at her in that overpowering way. It was as he could feel that the male body was her soft spot, her Achilles' heel. She could feel his warmth and longed for being closer to it, to feel his pulse, to sense his smell...

The moment was brutally broken by him.

"You haven't spoken to me for a long time. Why?"

Aurora came back to reality too. She remembered that she was upset with him.

"Could ask you the same. First you kiss me, only to bed some other woman."

Farkas was by all means not expecting that turn of events. His cheeky smile broke to a concerned and awkward look.

"Being a member of the Circle has some downsides. One of them is a... need..."

Aurora could see that he was uncomfortable. She decided to help him out a little.

"I know, Vilkas told me a while ago..."

"Vilkas?"

Oops. It was like her ability to decide the properness of conversation was back with a 'click'. She had completely forgotten about the Vilkas incident. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that it was something she would keep to herself. Besides, she had not done anything – it was Vilkas' fault and his alone. She should not feel bad about bedding the brother...

"In his usual rude ways," she added.

A sigh of relief came from Farkas.

"Have you... experienced increasing needs?"

Aurora could feel her heart beat faster as he asked that question. It had been way too long for her, and the beast within her pointed it out by making her very aroused.

The second she nodded, he was all at her. He removed his clothes while Aurora struggled with her armour. Farkas was the first one to remove his loincloth. He was definitely proportional, Aurora thought. His manhood was just... It was huge. In its erected state, it was almost terrifying. Aurora became nervous. It felt like her first time. The same thoughts of "how will _that_ thing fit?" ran through her head.

Pulling down her pants and looking at her loincloth, she realised she would not have her question answered. Her loincloth was stained with blood. Damn it!

"I... I have to go. Sorry! I'm really..." she said as she got dressed again.

Farkas looked confused, and who could blame him?

"Where are you going?"

"Aela... She's got a mission, I have to..."

She ran through the corridor, and thankfully, no one was there to see her in that undignified state.

* * *

**Sorry for the bad update. Been busy with my midterms, but should be back to normal next week. Thanks again to follows/favourites/reviews!**


	16. Chapter 16

The trip back and forth from the towers took two days indeed, and the moment Aurora came back, Aela requested her help again. This time the huntress wished for her shield-sister to steal some Silver Hand plans. Aurora could not help fearing that Aela was doing something stupid, and to be honest, she was reluctant of travelling to Lost Knives Hideout.

Her patience with the huntress was over. Even though Aela basically threatened her, she went to Kodlak.

The discussion with the Harbinger was rewarding. Kodlak was a wise man with a calmness to him that was comforting and guiding. Aurora seldom felt the need of speaking to someone like him, being the loner she was, but still very much appreciated his presence.

When it came to the issue with Aela, Kodlak came to the same conclusion as Aurora had. She just had to avoid her.

"Aela is not the easiest person to avoid," Aurora laughed.

"She can be very persistent, indeed," the old man smirked.

"I bet she will pay a visit to my room in the middle of the night, hiding in the shadows only to announce that she has a new plan of some sort..."

She was in a good mood. Aurora never saw Kodlak as someone one could joke around with. True, he was very wise and never talked down on anyone, but he knew who could take a joke about themselves. Aurora was in strong spirit and joyful about finding that new side of the Harbinger. So ecstatic that she did not notice the change of his face.

"It is much tougher to avoid the shadows of one's mind than an assassin, or in this case, Aela."

It was interesting how she always had to watch her step around the Harbinger. One slip of the tongue and she had exposed far more about her private life than was intended. Aurora was worried about where the man was going with the conversation.

"What shadows?"

He looked her in the eyes, piercing her with the sheer power of his gaze. Never had she felt more like a child than in that situation. A child who had wronged and was about to get her secret exposed.

"We all have them, girl. What do you think?"

How could he see that in her? Was it so obvious – the unprocessed emotions of hurt and betrayal? The pain of being abandoned by her family, the loneliness of walking around without a goal. He had seen it, for sure. It was as if he could see right through her. Perhaps wise men could.

"Shadows of the mind should not be avoided, on the contrary; light should be casted upon them. There is nothing more dangerous than lying or second-guessing oneself. One can get into serious problems, or end up... hurt." Even though her eyes were dry, the thought of Morrowind and the events that occurred there made her feel as if she was crying.

"Problems, yes..."

She turned her head towards the man. He was sitting far into his own thoughts and looking blankly at the floor. How silly she was. Of course he was not talking about the heartache of being abandoned by family or Dunmer men. He had his own issues. Aurora felt so ashamed. The piercing gaze – it had all been in her head.

Suddenly, she heard a knock. Saved by the bell so to say. Vilkas stood on the other end of the room, dressed in his usual armour. He gently leaned against the vault and had a delighted smile on his face.

"Can I have a word with you, whelp?"

Aurora gladly left the chair and followed Vilkas. Passing through the vault, she looked back and saw Kodlak still staring at the floor. He probably had not noticed. All was well.

Or not. Just to avoid the huntress' stupid missions, she had spread the word that she had nothing to do. That problem had been taken cared of. By Vilkas.

"There's work to be done," he said, leading Aurora further down the corridor.

It was just now she started to appreciate his voice. He had a completely different accent than his brother. Perhaps Vilkas' was more appeasing. He was not as tall as Farkas, nor was he as wide, but she had forgotten just how masculine he really was. Following and seeing him from behind almost made her heart jump. His dark hair moved slightly as he walked, almost slowing down time. It was newly washed and she could sense the smell of Snowberries... His shoulders went back and forth in the manliest way Aurora had ever experienced.

"A bear has invaded Sylgja's house in Shor's stone." Vilkas had stopped by the stairs. He was looking at her rather neutrally.

It took a while for her to come back to her senses. He was just so alike a sabre cat... Those bright eyes that still had a mesmerising darkness to them, sometimes they were looking at her as if she was a prey; hungrily, impatiently... But now they were calm, like sabre cat sometimes were, she guessed.

Yes, mission, right. Wait.

"A bear?" she asked doubtfully.

"A bear."

Now she was enraged. He was sending _her_ to solve some stupid hunting problem? He was so calmly demanding such a tedious task to be preformed whilst he looked that way? Like the popular bachelor in a village who could make girls do whatever he wanted. Argh! She remembered everything she hated with the man.

"Come on, Vilkas, it's just a bear, she is a grown woman and should be able to handle this herself."

"She pays us well, now go."

He had crossed his arms, looking down at her with a look that reminded her of her parents' when they wanted her to do some chore. Aurora realised there was no way she would be getting out of it. She _had_ expressed her desire to do anything, just _anything_ to keep Aela at a distance.

"Alright, _wolf_! I'll do it," she hissed at him. "Where is that sodding farm?"

"Just outside of Riften."

"_Riften_? It will take _days_ just to get there!"

"And Sylgja has already waited since the morning of the day before yesterday, let's not make her wait longer than necessary. Living with relatives can be... annoying."

Aurora just wanted to slap him.


	17. Chapter 17

"Aurora."

"Vipir, hi."

Vipir was not the one she expected seeing at the stairs leading down to the Guild. Her mind was so set on the Ragged Flagon that she failed to notice things and people in front of her.

"Are you back for...?"

The area below the fake crypt was narrow for one person to stand in, never mind two. The man next to her was not really uncomfortable, but he was trying to avoid her as much as he could.

"No, I'm just visiting. I helped a woman with a... beast invasion not far from here."

"I see."

He did not seem to wish discuss the subject any further, but still he stood there, as frozen to the ground. Aurora expected their next encounter to be awkward, but always assumed that they could escape each other discretely.

"Going out on a mission?" She said, mostly to do something about the silence.

"No, just to take a walk," he said whilst twisting his shoulders. "The air can be somewhat moist down in the Ratway."

"Indeed." She tried to smile, but received no reaction from the man in front of her.

He was hopeless – staring blankly at the ground in front of him without looking at Aurora even once.

"Vipir, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Brynjolf."

She tried to catch his gaze by moving her head into the direction he was looking, but to no avail.

"I just... I didn't realise that you were out for something committing."

"Had it changed anything?" Finally, he lifted his eyes and looked at her. It had almost been better if he had not.

"No."

Vipir nodded and stretched for the chain, opening the door to Riften. Aurora quickly took his arm.

"No, Vipir, you don't have the right to blame me for this. I'm sorry for leaving without telling you, but I'm not sorry about Brynjolf."

With that, she opened the trap door to the Cistern.

"Aurora!" Vex exclaimed happily.

"Don't get your hopes up, I'm just visiting," Aurora laughed.

"I'm really happy you're here, " said Vekel the barman. "You were always good for the business," he continued as he held a bottle of mead.

"Well, gather the Guild! The round is on me!"

"Sure you want to do that, lass?"

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard that lovable, familiar voice. She turned around and saw him leaning against the wall.

"Brynjolf," she stated, smiling.

She ran up to him and threw herself in his arms. He pressed her tightly to his chest and she did her best to get as many breaths of his scent as was possible before he let her go.

The people in the Ragged Flagon put two tables together and sat down around them. It was unusually bright inside the tavern, and Aurora realised it was due to the new merchant stands that were situated along the wall.

"So, my fellow thieves. What's new?" she asked and gestured toward the new stands.

"Not much," Delvin said. "The Guild is slowly going back to its former glory, but things like that take time."

"A _lot_ of time," Sapphire stressed.

"There are some new faces here."

"Oh yes," said Brynjolf. "We're building quite a reputation again, making more and more people seek their fortune with us."

Aurora nodded. After telling about her adventures with the Companions, the subject changed many times before a new Dunmer noted that it was late.

Vipir still had not joined them, but Aurora could not care less. It was his problem, not hers. She had done her best to correct her wrongs. During the evening, Brynjolf had flirted with her, and that was all she could think of. He was always such a teaser, and he knew her weaknesses, making it unfairly easy to mocker her.

As people begun to leave, Brynjolf stood up and went up to her. He still had his hood on, hiding his face in the shadow. She had a weakness for mysterious men, and even though she would not classify Brynjolf as one, his outfit certainly made her a bit... excited.

"Follow me," Brynjolf commanded and took Aurora's hand.

He led her through the door to the Cistern, turned left by the narrower place leading to the Ratway and then right. The corridor was dark as usual, and the air humid. The stink was awful.

Just before the training room, Brynjolf stopped and pulled the woman closer. In the blink of an eye, his lips touched hers. Aurora could feel the beast inside of her waking up as the man hungrily kissed her.

"Hey, lass," Brynjolf smiled.

Aurora answered with another kiss.

"Finally alone."

"Let's get a room at the inn," Aurora begged.

"That would be too obvious," he answered. "People would see us, besides, first visit to the Guild after many weeks, and you just disappear the same evening?"

"Are you denying me?"

"No, I just say that we'll have to be more discrete."

"Let's go out into the Ratway then..."

"You can't be serious..."

"Alright, then let me have you here."

At first, Brynjolf seemed a bit reluctant to the idea, but after sticking her tongue inside his mouth, he was enlightened.

He took a firm grip around her bottom and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around him, feeling the stiffness in his pants. Finally, after all this time, she would finally bed a man! The mere anticipation of intercourse brought her close to climax, and butterflies were awaking in her stomach. The moment was so mentally exhilarating that she was losing control of herself.

The beast did not make it easier. She wanted to rip his clothes, bask on his flesh and conquer his manhood. It was hers for all that mattered, and she would take what was hers.

Brynjolf was kissing her neck and pressing his crotch against her body, but it went too slow. She let go of him and jumped down on the floor, taking him with her in the fall.

He hit the floor neatly, even though he was by no means a small or slim man. Sneaky thief.

She started to unbutton his pants, but lost patience and decided to tear them instead. She quickly got out of her own apparel before looking at the man again. He seemed rather surprised, but who could blame him? She was probably at him like an animal, that was at least how it felt, but she did not wish to control herself and with Brynjolf, she knew that was all right.

He held his manhood with one hand and leaned on his other. She crawled closer to him before she straddled over him.

Brynjolf moaned loudly when she let him penetrate her, but his pleasure was nothing compared to hers. It was like as if she was burning alive, but without the pain. It was like finding water after days of wandering in the Hammerfell desert. Like the moment her lips finally felt wetness, and her throat tasted something else than salty sweat from her skin. By the second or third movement, she climaxed.

The feeling did not disappear entirely with more thrusts, but faded to some extent. The sex was nowhere near normal, but at least Aurora felt that she could control it. Brynjolf was getting closer and started to jolt her more violently. No, he could not.

As she felt him contracting inside of her, she withdrew and took his manhood with her hands, helping him over the edge.

"Been that long, huh? You were at me like an animal," Brynjolf laughed as he put his pants back on. "I have to get these fixed, thank you very much."

Aurora blushed and took a few steps closer to him, stretching out her arms to hug him.

"Sorry, Bryn. I don't know what came over me," she lied. Somehow it did not feel completely right telling him about the beast blood. It had been a long time since she last spoke to him, and felt that they probably were gliding apart. The only thing Aurora was sure about with that man was that he was an amazing lover and listener, but he _would_ judge her if she told him. He would assume that the Companions had pressured her into accepting the curse or gift.

She spent two more days with the Guild before deciding that it was time to go back home. The more time she spent in Riften, the more she was convinced that it was a chapter of her life that had come to an end. She had nothing to lose there anymore. Brynjolf had his mind somewhere else, probably with a woman by the look of him. Vipir would remain angry, and besides, the whole place was filling up with newcomers. It was not the same Guild she left those months ago.

"If you ever need anything, lass, you know where to find me," he said whilst hugging her good bye.

"Thank you, Bryn. If you ever need a sword hand, you know where to look."

He nodded and smiled. "Go now, before I change my mind and force you to stay here," he laughed and pushed Aurora in the shoulder.

As she walked through the gates she looked back. Riften, her first semi-permanent place of stay since leaving Cyrodiil. It was over, though – the life with the Guild. If not involved with it, there was no reason to stay in that town. With a sigh, she turned around and began her journey.

Aurora decided to take the north path around High Hrothgar this time, but staying close to the water. She could barely remember the trip to the farm as Vilkas basically forced her to use her beat form, but this time she would do it her way. It had its advantages staying close to the water as the road led her in the correct direction without her being forced to navigate with help from the sun. On the other hand, risks were greater too. Bandits, murderers and other criminals often attacked people walking alone or in small groups.

When Aurora noticed that the sunlight was turning golden, she immediately started to look out for some sort of cave or shelter for the night. She was not particularly fond of staying outdoors in the wild, but she had no choice. There was an imminent need for fire to hold wolfs and bears on a distance, as well as to cook a meal. Travelling lightly meant that there was nothing to sleep in – no sack or fur.

Upon finding an old hunters' camp, Aurora started to worry about the food problem. She did not have enough time to hunt before the sun would set, so a soup based on root vegetables and water from the lake had to do. Just before the woman finished her routine, darkness fell over Skyrim.

She did not get much sleep that night. A constant fear of being attacked by beasts of the forest kept her awake. She had a long day ahead of her, especially since she was tired, yet still had to walk for many more hours. Next time Vilkas would send her out on a mission like this, she would demand a horse. What a bastard he was – sending her to Riften to kill a bear. One bear. The money was not that good either – she could easily make twice that amount on a single quest for Vex.

"Oh, is it not the whelp?" she heard Vilkas exclaim as she set her foot inside Jorrvaskr.

"You look a little worn, shield-sister" Aela said with some worry in her voice.

Vilkas said what Aurora thought, only it sounded a lot worse coming from him.

"A little? Spare us the patronising, Aela."

Exhausted and irritated from the walk and sleep deprivation, she felt a strong urge to punch Vilkas but decided against it due to her condition and witnesses being present in the hall.

"Thank you for your kind words, Vilkas. What a genuinely unpleasant creature you are."

He smiled as if it had been a compliment. Aurora sighed and took a few steps closer to the stairs leading to the sleeping quarters. Vilkas noticed it immediately and came up to her, taking her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"What do you think, Vilkas?! To bed of course."

Aurora turned around to face him and violently threw her arm to the side, forcing him to let go.

"Drop the attitude. I'm not here to annoy you. Kodlak wants a word."


	18. Chapter 18

"Have you heard the story of how we came to be werewolves?

Aurora thought for a moment. She remembered the conversation she had with Skjor a long time ago, just before they accepted her into the Circle.

"Skjor said it was a blessing from Hircine."

"Aye, that sounds like him."

Kodlak sighed heavily. He seemed unusually joyful that night, as if he anticipated something great to happen.

"As in all matters of faith, though, the reality is more complicated than one believer would tell you."

Aurora turned slightly in the chair. She was struck by his mood and could not wait to help him with whatever he confided her.

"So what is the truth then?"

She caught the old man's gaze and realised that this was not a mission like any other, it was something he personally wanted her to do. She was very glad that he trusted her to do it, whatever it was. It did not matter that Vilkas did not trust her abilities if Kodlak did. The Harbinger took a deep breath and continued:

"The Companions are nearly five thousand years old. This matter of beastblood has only bothered us for a few hundred. One of my predecessors was a good, but short-sighted man. He made a bargain with the witches of Glenmoril Coven. If the Companions would hunt in the name of their lord, Hircine, we would be granted great power."

"And they became werewolves?"

"They did not believe the change would be permanent. The witches offered payment, like anyone else. But we had been deceived."

Aurora understood the situation, but Kodlak continued to explain it in more detail. The woman was too tired to protest, so she just went along, listening him out. By the end of the conversation, she had a new mission – to get those witches' heads. It would be a lie to say that she was not keen to successfully complete the quest, but at the same time, she felt unwillingness. She _hated_ magic when used as a weapon. It was cheating. The ones with weak arms could turn to magic, but a true warrior would use her sword. Witches were dishonest, weak creatures.

The more she thought about Kodlak's words regarding death, the more she felt Sovngarde was the place for her. However, she was not sure. Was Sovngarde just a place for Nords? What would death bring to an Imperial like herself then? The thought of a place where brave men and women went when their earthly time was over was appealing. She was brave, was she not?

Even though exhaustion made her sleepy, she could not doze off. The thought of an afterlife kept her awake most of the night. She would ask someone tomorrow, right before leaving to Glenmoril Coven.

The morning came eventually. Aurora had been up most of the night, trying to convince her beast spirit to let her fall asleep. She was not completely successful, but managed to steal a few hours. When she heard movement in the corridor, she decided it was time to go up.

She took her heavy armour, shield, sword and bow. Travelling lightly as always, without a tent or food that was. Aurora got dressed quickly and ran up to the hall, eager to find out who the early bird was.

To her great discontent, it was Vilkas. He wore his wolf armour as always, but skipped the war paint.

"Oh, it's you."

Even though the man had realised who was following him, he only turned around to face her after she uttered those words.

"You seem dissatisfied. Reality not as good as expectation?"

He had a cheeky smile to him that almost made him seem like a good person. Almost.

"One could put it that way. What are you doing up so early?"

"Nothing, I couldn't sleep so I decided to do something productive instead."

He raised his left arm, in which he was holding his usual sword. Aurora pretended not to notice.

"That's why you're sitting here, eating?"

"Ha. Ha," he said coldly. "I'm going to the yard to swing my sword a few times. Want to join or are you too scared?"

She did not really have the time to play silly games – she was needed in Glenmoril Coven. At the same time, she would never let Vilkas get away with calling her a coward.

"Fine. I'll join you," she answered indifferently.

"Good. You will if not learn, at least see a master in action."

He was unbearable. With her mind somewhere else, she followed the man out to the courtyard. He walked there casually, even though he probably was a bit nervous. He had lost the last time they fought, on her very first day as a Companion.

He prepared himself by leaning his sword on a piece of wood as he adjusted his armour. Aurora stood next to him and looked at the process.

"You were gone for quite a few days," he said as he pulled his chest plate tighter.

"So what? Missed me?" she answered without moving a muscle in her face.

He looked at her with an annoyed gaze. "... No. Started to think you couldn't handle that bear, that's all."

"I can handle anything," she said confidently.

"Oh yes? What about this?"

He quickly drew his sword and knocked the woman over. She fell hard to the ground, hurting the back of her head, as she had not put her helmet on. She moaned and checked her head with the right arm. A bump was already forming. Damn him! She had been completely unprepared with her mind elsewhere. It was not a fair fight – he had been planning that for a long time.

"Too easy," he complained as he stood over her. "And that, whelp, is how you use a sword."

It was humiliating. Of all people, did it have to be Vilkas? He did not even help her up, but on the other hand, perhaps it was for the best. There was only that much patronising she could take. When she stood on her feet, he was already gone.

The first day of the trip was very unpleasant. Aurora had bought a horse and taken the north way around the mountains. Her head was killing her, and she started to reconsider her choice of transport as the horse's all but neat movements made her headache worse. Avoiding the Giants' camp just outside of Whiterun, she decided that those creatures should be slayed once and for all. Not now, but she would get to it eventually. She was sick and tired of having to ride around it every time she was headed west.

By the end of the second day, she was only a few hours from where Kodlak said the Glenmoril witches resided. She would take them on tomorrow, but first she was getting a good night's sleep and some food. She was just about to set up camp before she decided to have a swim in the lake first.

She got up on the horse and set off. The weather was perfect: warm, sunny and no wind in the air. Her head was a bit better than the day before. Thankfully, she had not received a concussion after that nasty fall. The horse was cooperating rather well with her, even though she still preferred walking. Seeing Skyrim from the back of a horse was not the same as walking her grounds. A real traveller went from place to place by foot, without the help of horses or carriages.

As Aurora approached the water, she noticed a mill not too far away. This was not the time, but she wanted to visit it one day. She imagined how life must be there. Simple, calm. Nothing long-term, but still interesting for a while. Perhaps she would go there looking for work after growing tired of the Companions, if that day would come.

She got off her horse and tied it to a tree before looking around to make sure no bandits or animals were in the area. As no one could be seen, she undressed and ran towards the water. Throwing herself into the lake, she gasped for breath. The water was rather cold, not at all like in Cyrodiil or Hammerfell, but it did not matter. Her joy of finally getting the chance to swim could not be overshadowed by cold water.

She swam along the lake, admiring the beauty of the landscape. There was some kind of fort not too far from her. Probably abandoned. Damn that war, tearing the country to pieces. Even though exploring Tamriel, Aurora never noticed that something was wrong. She had been born after the Dominion invasion was over, and her parents never spoke of it. In Cyrodiil, people did their best to forget the humiliating defeat of the Empire. For the first time, she started to feel uneasy about those Elves. How dared they come to lands way beyond their borders and instruct others how to live?

Suddenly, she noticed something that looked like a cave. Perhaps she would set up camp inside, if she was right. She swam back to where she had left the horse.

The woman quickly got her apparel on and got on the horse, leading it to the road. She was almost never wrong about things like this after being in constant motion for the last years. The rock was formed as if it could contain a cave of some sort.

It did not take long to reach it, as it was clearly visible form the road. A man was sitting on a fallen tree, hurt.

"Hello? You! Over here! Please, I need help!" He had seen her.

She jumped down and run up to him. While telling her what happened to him, Aurora was trying to heal his wounds. She was a worthless healer, but did her best. His wounds had not closed up completely by the time she gave up her attempts of healing magic, but were somewhat better than before.

"Spriggans. Niels went down before we even knew to run. Ari died just inside. I never thought the things were real."

"Stay here," Aurora ordered and turned around to fetch her potions.

"I may have lost a drop or two of blood. Truth is, I'm not going anywhere like this. Hurts to breathe."

The woman took her horse closer to Valdr and took a potion she had found earlier that day in a fisherman's camp. He drank it.

"Much better. Thanks, friend. I wouldn't have lasted much longer without that. But now what? I can't just walk away. Not with my friends' bodies in there, being torn apart by those beasts."

"I understand," she sighed, knowing it would take time from Kodlak's quest. She could not just leave them there, though. "Let me help you."

"Wow. This place is _beautiful_."

Aurora had never seen a place as magic, in a good way that is, before. The sheer height of the cave made it possible for a forest to grow. A beam of sunlight came from a hole in the upper part of the cave, lightening the whole place up. There were trees, butterflies and flowers there, creating a very feminine picture.

What caught her eyes was the waterfall. It fell to a small pond, but some sprinkles flew some yards beyond it, breaking the light into a rainbow. The view was simply mesmerising.

"I can't believe how you got that Spriggan! It was impressive!"

Aurora answered with a distant "Hm...". She wanted to be here by herself. Valdr did not appreciate it enough to be worthy being present in such a place. She always thought Skyrim was cold, distant and desolate, but the reality was far from it. It was worth the cold if there were more places like this: untouched, beautiful and spellbinding.

Admiring the cave, Aurora almost forgot the original purpose of entering it. The first Spriggan was slayed easily with two shots with her bow. The two bears got a deathly taste of her blade, but there was one Spriggan left. It could be heard from across the cave, even though it hid in the sound of the waterfall.

"There it is!" Valdr whispered.

It had seen them, and was trying to sneak around them. An arrow convinced it to fight instead, but it was lethally hurt before it could even consider an attack. It fell to the ground, and Valdr stabbed it with a dagger in its neck.

"It's done then. Justice, if you can call it that. Look, I want you to have this." He cleaned off the bloodlike moist of the Spriggan from the dagger and held it out to Aurora. "I know it isn't much, but it's important to me. Ari gave me this dagger when we first started hunting together. Always said it brought her luck. You should be the one to carry it now."

Needless to say, if it was 'luck' it brought to Ari, Aurora did not want it. She thanked the man for his kind offer, but declined. It took some persuasion to let him drop the subject before she asked:

"What will you do now?"

"I'll give them a proper burial, then head back. Come find me if you're ever in Falkreath. You'll always be welcome at my door."

With that, the man turned around and left. Aurora stayed for a while to have some rest and admire the view, but mostly for letting the man carry out the bodies of his comrades. The woman was bad at the death thing – she had a hard time seeing remains of the fallen ones. Ari would probably go to Sovngarde, being the Nord huntress she was.

She had never had the time to ask what would become of her when she fell through the void to the other side. Vilkas was not the right person to ask. He would probably just say something obnoxious about her being too cowardly for a place like Sovngarde, without mentioning a word about her race.

It took her much to acknowledge it, but Vilkas' words hurt her. She thought that he would change his mind about her when she proved herself, but realised that it would probably not happen. His spitefulness had nothing to do with her abilities to survive and fight – it was just the way he was. Towards her. He was much friendlier towards Ria, who was useless compared to her. No, Vilkas disliked her, and it was personal. She would not care if it were some person she never met, she knew better than accept and believe in insults coming from strangers. Vilkas was not a stranger, though. He just _chose_ to hate her.

It was getting dark. The light inside of the cave became lower and lower before the beam eventually disappeared, leaving the area shadowy. She got up and left the cave to get the horse. She would sleep inside the hunters' camp that night.

* * *

**I've been writing like crazy for the past few days, finishing chapters that will come after about two or three updates. Can't throw you right in them, though, as I have to build up the relationship between Aurora and Vilkas first. I haven't quite decided how the story is going to end yet, but it will be finished just after the Companions' questline. Suggestions and requests are much appreciated, as well as reviews. I'd also like to thank my story followers.**


	19. Chapter 19

She left the horse in the cave, thinking it would be far safer than tying it to a tree. A pack of wolves, a bear, and in these regions, perhaps even a sabre cat could attack it. If not an animal, some bandits surely would get to it.

It was early in the morning – the sun had just risen. Aurora could barely sleep that night, like most of them. So far, she had only ever experienced one advantage with the beast blood – she could travel quickly. It was not worth the sleepless nights, though. Besides, she preferred knowing what she was doing. She was not completely familiar with that beast side of her just yet.

The run to the Coven only took three and a half hours. She was energetic and had to get rid of the liveliness somehow. Running was a great way of accomplishing that.

Nothing of interest happened during that time, for which Aurora was grateful. A dragon attack or something was nothing she had time to take care of as she wanted to return to Jorrvaskr as soon as possible.

The landscape was once more fantastic – the hinterlands of Falkreath were like from a fairy tale. She would not let herself see the beauty, though. She had to stay focused on the goal – decapitating those witches. Kodlak only requested one, but she figured he would not be the only one to cure himself. Aurora needed five of those heads. Damn, they would be... interesting to transport. Hopefully no guard would stop her and ask questions, if she survived the ordeal, so to say.

There it was, the entrance.

She expected the witches to be there in the same room, brewing a pot of smoke or something. That was not quite the case, she noticed. The hall-like compartment was completely empty, making Aurora reconsider her tactics. If they were not together, she did not have to storm as they could be taken out one by one.

The first witch Aurora encountered was standing with her back against the entrance. It was not particularly far into the cave, only a few yards. The woman sneaked and hid behind a stone, raising her bow and prepared an arrow. She would have to take her down with one strike; otherwise the witch could get too loud for Aurora's good. It was not something the woman strived for – having to fight an unknown number of witches whilst standing in front of a wall with no place to hide.

She took a deep breath, but as she was about to fire the arrow, the witch suddenly turned around. She had been seen. Aurora quickly let go of the arrow. It all happened too fast for the witch to have time to react. It hit her throat, damaging the vocal cord. The woman did not even have time to run up to the witch before she was dead.

Cutting of heads was not something Aurora could see herself be doing on a daily basis. Decapitating people was disgusting, but witches were far worse. There was not much of a stank, but the flesh was very different from humans'. It was so elastic that Aurora had to drag her sword back and forth for a rather long time, making the process even less pleasant.

After finally getting it off the body, she wondered what she would do with it. It was probably a bad idea tugging it with her more than necessary. Upon entering the hall for the second time, she just put it close to the exit and hoped no of its former friends would find it.

Being with the Guild for some months made her very good at walking around almost without a noise. She sneaked around every corner with her bow prepared, taking a deep breath when seeing yet another wall. It took far less time to clear the Coven than expected. First of all there were only five of them, and they were worthless at communicating. Why did they insist on avoiding each other? Well, they were not much to look at, but surely that could not be a legitimate reason.

Aurora inspected the small pile of heads she gathered and wrinkled her nose. How in Tamriel would she get them to the horse? She looked around to search for a container or something. The only thing she found was some linen, in which she put the heads and gripped the corners. Holding it as far away from her as possible whilst maintaining reasonable speed, she ran towards the cave in which she had left the horse. The only thing on her mind was that she wanted to get rid of those damn heads as soon as possible.

She was way ahead of schedule when she reached the horse. The original plan had been to get back by nightfall and continue the journey in the morning, but if she set off immediately, she might just make it to Whiterun a day earlier. It would mean travelling faster to avoid reaching the town in the middle of the night. Aurora said her good byes to the cave and got on the horse.

Aurora had never sat on a galloping horse before, but there was a first time for everything. She would just push it for as long as the horse could take and then continue the trip on foot.

By the end of the first day, she reached a small, empty camp and spent the night there. It did not feel as safe as the cave, but had to do. She figured the heads would start to rot soon and was keen on getting home before the stink would be unbearable. The woman was very pleased with herself too. She had managed to complete Kodlak's mission within a small amount of time, as well as taking her own initiatives. Now she could cure everyone in the Circle who wished for that to happen, without being forced to visit the Glenmoril Coven again.

The moment she reached the Whiterun stables, Aurora noticed that something was wrong. The man she sold the horse to was not his usual self, but he did not say anything to the woman.

Instead, she entered the town. The people were silent with only a few exceptions. One or two whispered something when Aurora walked by. The road to Jorrvaskr felt like the longest in her lifetime.

When she reached half way up through the stairs to the Gildergreen, she saw blood. Aurora ran up the rest of the stairs and turned right to the next set of them. The bodies belonged to none of her kin, but the grieving faces of her shield-siblings told another story. Aurora slowly walked up to the doors and took a deep breath, not knowing what to expect. Half of the Companions could be lying there, dead.

The moment she got in, Vilkas blocked the entrance with his right arm. His eyes were burning and his heart rate increasing. He had his mouth firmly closed but breathed heavily when he looked at the woman he towered above.

"Where have you been?" he asked loudly. His voice pierced her with its coldness.

"I was doing Kodlak's bidding," she answered without looking at the man in front of her.

"I hope it was important," he said disappointedly. "Because it means you weren't here to defend him."

Aurora looked up at Vilkas. His forehead was winkled, but he did not look to be angry with her anymore. He struggled with the words, obviously in grief.

"The Silver Hand. They finally found enough courage to attack Jorrvaskr. We fought them off, but... The old man... Kodlak... he's dead."

She swallowed hard. Kodlak – she could not believe it. He was their leader, their advisor and companion. To Vilkas and Farkas, he was like a father.

Vilkas let her walk into the hall. The old man lay on the floor, with Njada and Farkas by his side. Aurora did not know what to say to Farkas. He looked to be deep in his own thoughts.

"Was anyone else hurt?" she managed to ask Vilkas.

"No, but they made off with all our fragments of Wuuthrad. But you and I are going to reclaim them. We will bring the battle to their chief camp. There will be none left to tell their stories. Only songs of Jorrvaskr will be sung. We will avenge Kodlak. And they will know terror before the end."

Strong words to be coming from him right then. Aurora could not help but to be worried about the hatred Vilkas must have been feeling towards the Silver Hand. Hopefully, he would not jump into action and do anything he would come to regret later.


	20. Chapter 20

They set off a mere hour after Aurora arrived. Vilkas was waiting by the front door as Aurora ascended from the stairs. He seemed confident and eager based on his gaze and body language.

"Ready to go, whelp?"

Aurora nodded and followed him through the door. He had a dark war paint around his eyes. Aurora found it rather attractive on him. Vilkas looked like a vicious predator, like a real Nord man. His greatsword hung on his back, following his moves. His walking style was similar to the rest of the male Nords' – turning shoulders and some distance between his legs.

They did not bother walking through the town gates; instead they opted for jumping down from the wall in a place where it was somewhat shorter. Vilkas jumped first and landed heavily on the ground. Aurora was a lot slicker and neatly got down from the wall. Stupid Nord, she thought. Brynjolf was always far better at doing things like that.

Vilkas, being the gentleman he was, completely ignored helping Aurora. He set off before she caught up with him.

They walked in silence for about an hour before Vilkas said the first words to her. They were walking along the road leading north, so the woman guessed they would visit colder places. Aurora had left her bow in Jorrvaskr this time as she figured sneaking was not a great idea with a clumsy Nord like Vilkas ruining her tactics, rushing forward to attack. Neither one of them had brought food or a tent with them, so Aurora was thinking about where and how they would sleep.

"Are you able to preform magic?" he asked her casually, but with a wrinkled forehead.

His question caught her off guard. Aurora quickly gave her all but spectacular sparks a thought.

"Yeah, I can do that," she said with a not very convincing tone.

Vilkas raised his eyebrows in surprise. He even stopped for a moment before asking her what kind of destruction spells she knew.

"Oh, you know. Fire and stuff." Fire, sure. More like sparkles.

"I see," he answered looking down to the ground.

"And you?"

"More of a swordsman."

"So no magic at all?"

"I leave that to members of the College of Winterhold. I trust in the strength of my hands and instincts of my warrior spirit."

"Oh, excuses and even more excuses. Turns out you don't know a single spell," she teased him with, for him, a very annoying tone.

"I don't need to," he concluded as if it was the final say in this conversation.

There it was again – silence. Just when it all started to get fun.

"Well, how do you even make fire?"

"In the old-fashioned Nord way – with twigs."

"That's not too effective."

He sarcastically grinned at her before raising his speed. Aurora was trying her best to suppress a giggle.

Vilkas let her know that he was not amused by ignoring her for the rest of the evening. Towards nightfall, they set up camp in the forest. Aurora went looking for some branches to build a shelter of whilst Vilkas set off hunting. They had waited too long, and the sun had already set by the time they both returned. Aurora's shelter was not the best one she had ever built. There were far too few branches to protect them from the freezing northern wind, and she had no time to find something to lay on the ground.

Vilkas hunting luck was better. He had slayed a rabbit and found some berries. Feeling that he had accomplished his chores, he questioned Aurora about hers.

"Not very good at building shelters, I take it?"

"Stop it, Vilkas. You know we waited too long to set up camp. This is what you get when you only give me half an hour to gather material."

She had not understood his tongue in cheek comment. Alright then, Vilkas thought. He would be more serious.

"You look tired. If you make the fire, I'll cook the meat."

Aurora smiled. How nice of him, for a change. She got up, put some twigs in a pile and placed a few stones around it. Vilkas prepared the meat by skinning the rabbit and cutting out eatable parts.

The woman became increasingly nervous. Even novice magic was difficult for her. Aurora gathered all of her concentration and focused on the spell. At first, nothing happened, but then a small piece of a twig caught fire. It died quickly as the woman was too shocked about managing to conjure a small sparkle to continue concentrating.

She felt the man's gaze at the back of her neck. He was probably watching her closely, that damned Nord.

"What?!" she exclaimed before she even turned around to see if she was right.

"No, nothing," he laughed and threw his arms out.

She did not give up. If he laughed at her, he would pay.

"What are you laughing at?" Her tone was still unfriendly.

"I just... imagined it would be more of an explosion." His voice was neutral. "Would it not be more effective?" he added.

"Yes, if you want me to set the whole place on fire!"

He nodded and continued with cutting up the meat. Knowing Vilkas was dealt with, Aurora could focus a little bit better. After a few minutes, they had a nice little campfire.

"Wolf, the fire is done," Aurora proudly stated.

Vilkas got up from his improvised kitchen and sat down by the fire, next to the woman. She hated to admit it, but the meat looked good. It was not a culinary masterpiece, but he had done a good job adding flavour with some herbs. In silence, he took his small knife and made a sharp point at the end of a long but thin branch, after which he impaled the meet. It was obvious that he had done it before. Many times before.

It was surprisingly nice to sit next to him. The air was unusually warm for the season and there were no clouds on the night sky, making it possible to observe all the stars and twin moons. Another company had been preferable, but Vilkas was rather pleasant to be around when he held his tongue. She watched him as he turned the meat. He was thinking about something. His forehead was slightly wrinkled, and his eyes looked distant.

What did it matter to her? She could not care less about what he was thinking of! He was a nasty man who deserved more than two slaps from her.

Twenty minutes later, they still had not said a word to one another. Vilkas merely sat there, looking into the fire as if he played his entire life in his thoughts. By looking at him, she too had been dragged into that mood. She remembered nights like this in Morrowind, only difference was that she was alone back then. On the other hand, Vilkas could hardly be considered as 'company', but still... She had a group of people she could call family. A bed in a real house, not just a room at an inn in a decadent part of the town. Two years ago, she did not know a friendly face in the whole world. No one would care if she disappeared – no one had when those Imperial soldiers sentenced her to death.

Only the beauty of the night sky remained unchanged. The same could be said about Vilkas' expression.

"What is it, wolf?"

He raised a hand to silence her whilst he was looking out to east. Aurora was starting to get anxious. She had never seen Vilkas behaving like that before. Obviously there was a real danger.

He grabbed his sword and lowered his body to a sneak position and ran to the direction he had been looking at. Aurora was quick to follow.

"A Giant!" she exclaimed.

Vilkas took her arm and pulled her down behind the stone he used as a hiding spot. The Giant was not too close, so perhaps a fight could be avoided, Aurora thought.

"Ever taken down one of 'em?" he asked her whilst still observing the creature.

"Not really. You?"

"I've killed one of every creature in all of Skyrim."

"Sure you have."

He wrinkled his forehead and turned towards Aurora. That was a rather bad time to discuss that specific subject as the Giant obviously sensed the smell from the fire and was heading straight at the pair.

"No, I really have."

"Can't argue with you."

"Oh shut up, woman and do something about that thing over there! Throw fire at it!"

The Giant was now running towards them, making the ground shake as it moved its enormous feet. Its gaze was not on the fire, though, it was directed straight at them.

"Yeah, about that..."

"What?"

Aurora said the spell, but it was the pettiest sight he had ever seen. He should have known better than to trust that stupid whelp.

"Is that all you can?"

She looked at him with a warning gaze.

"How did you put it? Right! _That's not too effective_!"

He took her arm. As it turned out, he had to handle everything by himself. Nothing new under the sun. He had to get them both away from there, immediately.

The woman had her own plans, though. She pulled herself free from his grip and stayed put.

"You really are hilarious. Now watch this."

He could not believe his eyes. Never had he seen such stupidity. Aurora was planning on taking it down, in the dark and without a bow.

"Run!" he ordered her.

She followed his orders, but to the wrong direction – she headed north. Noticing movement, the Giant decided to follow the woman instead. Vilkas sighed before setting off after her.

It was harder than he though to catch up with her. Apparently, she was a good runner, neatly jumping over fallen trees and rolling over larger stones.

"Aurora! Drop that sword! Just run!"

"We will flank it from the hill!"

He gave up. She was too far from him. Stupid whelp! Her sense of self-preservation was at idiotically low levels, and he would not take responsibility for that. Vilkas turned southeast – walking back to camp was the only thing he could do.

What would he tell the Companions? The truth – that she was naïve and refused to listen to him. He hoped that she at least would have the decency to die so that he did not have to carry her all the way back to Whiterun to get her fixed.

But she was still a Companion. He could not just abandon a shield-sibling, no matter how stupid they were. Damn her! He raised the speed. Hopefully, he would get there before the Giant had beaten her to pieces with that giant club.

Flank it from the hill? That would imply that she was taking the fight close to where they hid before. Vilkas almost sprained his ankles by stepping on uneven roots, but managed to hold a good speed. Coming out to where they had been before, he saw something he would never forget.

She was incredibly slick. By the look of it, the whelp had managed to cut the Achilles tendons on the creature, making it stationary. It panicked, waving the club to all directions, but the woman ducked, ran between its legs and jumped to avoid being hit.

Aurora backed off in the middle of a try to swing its club, forcing it to stretch out. The woman used its temporary lack of balance and destroyed tendons, making it fall over. When it did so, the earth shook violently beneath Vilkas' feet. With a final blow, Aurora pierced the Giant's throat with her sword.

He could not believe it. Some few months ago, they had sent out Farkas _and_ Aela to help a whelp with a Giant, but _this one_ managed it by herself.

He walked up closer, still not believing the sight. The woman turned to him with a self-absorbed look.

"And that's how you slay a Giant, bastard."


	21. Chapter 21

"Whelp, look."

The woman glimpsed to the direction at which Vilkas was pointing and was met by a green sheet that fluttered across the sky. Never had she experienced such beauty. In places where cold air touched the firmament, extraordinary phenomenon occurred.

"You know your name means 'northern lights'?" His voice was calm and deep. A very pleasant tone.

"Yes... I do."

"Skyrim is a beautiful place, isn't it?"

Aurora could not tear her eyes from the night sky. She had heard tales about northern lights from people in High Rock, but never seen it before. Enchanting, hypnotic, there were no words that could honour to the sight.

"Indeed," she sighed.

"Perhaps you should have been born a Nord."

She quickly turned her head to face him. He was not smiling, but he looked sincere. Thoughtful. It was almost as if he had meant it as a compliment.

Aurora gave him a short and insecure smile, which remained unanswered. Vilkas had managed to be rather agreeable since her slaying that Giant by herself. This was the way he treated Njada, and Aurora found that she could no longer hate him, but she still disliked him for the way he had been before.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a fort came in sight. It was in bad condition, and was probably once abandoned by the imperial soldiers.

Vilkas stopped his shield-sister by taking her arm.

"Let's go. For Wuuthrad!" He exclaimed.

"For Wuuthrad," Aurora repeated, smiling.

They were met by an archer who did his best to stop the pair, but he was a young and inexperienced man. Only a few years too old to be called a boy. Aurora took the lead and ran up to him, taking him down with a single swing.

It looked as if he was the only one of his kind outside, but when the woman stood on the top of what once had been a tower, she realised that they were two.

The darkness would have made it easy for them to do a sneak attack, but Vilkas insisted on screaming out loud when he raised his sword.

Why did bandits and other outlaws _always_ put their weakest members to guard outdoors? If something happened – no, when something happened, they never stood a chance. Besides, neither could they warn the others, and Vilkas' yelling was not loud enough to be heard all the way down and inside of the fortress.

Aurora stood prepared when the Silver Hand woman attacked her with a two handed sword that was way too heavy for her. The first swing was blocked, but the force of Aurora's strike proved to be lethal. The Silver Hand was knocked backwards, leaving the Companion free to take her enemy's life.

Aurora did not even bother searching the dead bodies for loot. They never had anything of value. Instead, she would wait until the end of the fort to fill her pockets.

Vilkas let the woman take the first steps inside. It was obvious for her that he saw it as some kind of test for her. If she would manage – perhaps she would gain his respect, but in all honesty, she could not care less. Aurora regarded Vilkas to be a hopeless case.

They were met by an empty room with some stairs leading downwards. Aurora took the lead, sneaking down the steps. Once more, this tactic proved to be useless with a wolf brother. He could awake a sleeping bear from miles away by simply walking with those stupid boots.

The corridor turned left and then directly to the right, followed by a closed wooden door. Shutting them was a mistake – giving the Silver Hand a false sense of security. When the Companions attacked, they would be unprepared and lacking time to call for reinforcement.

A narrow hall lay behind the door. It had high ceilings, though, explaining all the stairs leading down. Since Vilkas stormed forwards, the woman did the same.

A swordsman tried to stop her, but ended up paying for his point attempt with the price of his life. Aurora blocked the first hit with her shield, and then bashed it in his face, forcing him to the ground where he was defenceless.

Suddenly, she felt the cold swish of an arrow that only just avoided her nose. She looked up and noticed an archer who had not been taken cared of. Aurora searched for Vilkas, angry for him not covering her back, and eventually saw him fighting another swordsman.

The archer who was useless at his job was hiding behind a pillar, afraid of facing the warrior. Aurora raised her shield and calmly sneaked up to it. As she approached him, she could hear his strained breath. He too was merely a boy, and it hurt Aurora to kill him, even though she knew that she had no alternatives.

Vilkas caught up with her when the hall led to another set of corridors. He took the lead and stormed forwards without saying a word to the shocked woman. She could smell his rage, being shaken by the intensity of it. The fear of him ending up in a difficult situation due to not thinking actions through swept over her once more. He acted as if he was unstoppable.

He kicked in a wooden door, exposing a new hall in two levels. Aurora wanted to sneak behind a woman on upper floor, but Vilkas was not quiet enough when violently bursting in. All attention turned to him.

His brutality shocked her. Aurora had always regarded Vilkas as, if not wise, at least something in that direction. He had been Kodlak's right hand, having late night discussions with the Harbinger. Now he started to look more like Aela after losing Skjor. There was no glimpse of sadness to him, though. Only revenge.

The woman only managed to cry out before falling dead. Other Silver Hands were running up the stairs, prepared with their swords over their heads. Vilkas elegantly handled his weapon, making the pitiless killing look like a mystic dance of vigour and manliness.

He was not Aela when it came to killing. Her shield-sister had stabbed dead Silver Hands repeatedly, but Vilkas was perhaps even more cold-blooded than that. He only did what was necessary to take a life. He was calculating, making it look like a colloquial task to hunt Silver Hands.

What was most frightening was nothing of that sort, though. It was not his emotionless look or strange way of killing. He looked gorgeous – _that_ was the daunting part of the situation. Gods new she was becoming attracted to that man.

Farkas was impressive, but it was mostly due to his strength. Vilkas was superior when it came to balance, tactics and... virtuosity. His way with the sword made her realise why he had been so self-assured, and why her beating him on her first day with the Companions stung.

Those butterflies had to die before he understood something. There was no other reasonable option. She had already taken months of teasing, and if he knew she found his determination, strength and manly roars appealing, he would go from taunting to unbearable.

She bit her lip and went ahead. At least she would not see the striking hits and lion-like movements of the gorgeous man.

That, however, made her wish she had eyes in the back of her head. She could not refuse the urge to have a sneak look or two at him between the slayings.

When they had cleared the hall, he walked up to her. There was no trace of proudness or self-assurance in his look as she expected, but his gaze was incredibly intensive, making Aurora feel warm.

"Our killing spree is going rather well," she said.

"Killings? More of pest control," he smiled, but with a venomous gaze.

The woman did her best to force the thoughts of him away, telling herself that she should be concerned for his wellbeing as he obviously was not, based on the gallant actions of his.

Once they got down, they were left with many alternative ways to choose from. Vilkas wanted to go straight ahead, but Aurora was interested in a door. It was locked, but she easily picked it, gaining access to a chest. Vilkas was half as impressed as his brother had been. On the contrary, he looked as he wanted to get on with it as soon as possible. Aurora took the gold and followed him.

Moving downwards, they ended up in a new, narrow corridor. There was another locked wooden door to left, which Aurora set to pick, but Vilkas' angry look made her reconsider it. She could not argue with a man as determined as he was then. For the first time, she started to enjoy his temperament.

After a while, they encountered two Silver Hands that were quickly neutralised by Vilkas. He bashed on, killing everyone in his way. He only stopped when they saw that their path was blocked. Learning from her mistakes, Aurora scanned the room before pulling the leaver, which was located to the right of the vault. Vilkas could barely wait for the pikes to disappear before he threw himself onwards.

They ended up in a new corridor defended by a Silver Hand. She did not stand a chance against the shield-brother's sword. Meanwhile, Aurora examined some locked cages containing a dead werewolf. He had a distinctive smell, but she could not remember knowing it. Still hearing the battle continue not far from where she stood, Aurora turned to watch it.

He was truly skilled, that bastard. Perhaps the best one she had ever seen. Vilkas was somewhat better than she was, and she was good. The man made it seem so simple to control the sword, waiting for the opponent to make a mistake and swinging that last, deadly strike.

What made it even more attractive was the fact that he had done it all by himself. Farkas had his size working for him, but his twin brother had spent hours and hours on the training ground and in combat to master his weapon. It had given results.

When reaching what looked like a torture chamber, the man suddenly stopped. Aurora thought that seeing the blood traces on the floor would cause rage to boil inside of him, but she was surprised to find that he calmly observed the sight. Without a word, he then continued.

She had to run to keep up with his huge leaps. They were close now, she could tell. The last Silver Hand they defeated before reaching a new door proved to be a challenge, even for the two of them fighting together. Aurora had barely avoided being stabbed in the shoulder after dropping her shield due to a kick in her arm.

The woman expected some kind of speech from Vilkas before opening the door, but he did not even look at her. A second later, she was met by a handful of enemies.

They all attacked Vilkas as he was the first one in, but he quickly managed to dispatch two of them before their leader, who was wearing a special armour, decided to get rid of the intruders.

Aurora saw what was about to happen. The Silver Hands were about to surround Vilkas, distracting him with the leader whilst the other tree would stab him in the back. She threw herself forwards, placing her back against his whilst protecting them both from the silver swords that were swung at them at all times. Hearing the distinctive cling from behind, she knew everything was all right. Vilkas was yelling when striking or blocking, informing his shield-sister that he was still alive.

She could no longer just protect them, the woman needed to end the battle by killing them, but it would mean risking her or Vilkas life if she turned her attention to just one of the Silver Hand. It required careful planning.

Aurora did a manoeuvre and fooled one of the Silver Hand that she was planning a deadly strike, making her enemy step back. At that time, she swung at an unprepared kinsman of his. He did not die immediately, but at least he was wounded badly.

Vilkas was getting tired by then. He had to step between Aurora and a Silver Hand who had taken the moment of the Companion's temporary lack of focus to try to backstab her. Vilkas caught the force of the Silver Hand's attack on his shoulder armour whilst blocking another one from the leader.

When Aurora got rid of her second victim, she took over the battle with the leader and was surprised by his abilities. His swings were hard and often made her lose her balance. Vilkas noticed this and quickly came to her rescue upon killing the last subordinate Silver Hand.

Together, they surrounded the leader. Aurora hit him between the chest and back plate whilst Vilkas kept the leader busy. Her shield-brother gave the last strike, beheading the Silver Hand. The head rolled across the floor whilst the body fell straight down with a loud 'bang'.

Aurora caught Vilkas' gaze. He had his distinctive dark, cheeky smile that in this particular situation seemed more of an evil one. He was in his own world, so Aurora did not try to bother breaking in.

Her attention turned to the pieces of Wuuthrad. They lay spread across a broken table. What an unworthy place to put something as praised as the Wuuthrad on, she thought. It was sadness rather than anger that filled her when seeing that scene.

The woman walked up to the table and carefully picked up the few pieces, filling her pockets with them. Meanwhile, Vilkas had walked up to a dead body.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a bow and some arrows. Thought it would be easier to hunt."

"Oh, right."

The man came to his feet, looking directly in her eyes. Then he proceeded to say:

"Let's go back to Jorrvaskr. We'll want to pay our respects to Kodlak's spirit."


	22. Chapter 22

"We will never make it down the mountain range in this storm!" Aurora yelled.

"I know!" Vilkas shouted, but it was barely hearable. "I think there is a hunter's shack close to here!"

The wind was so strong that Aurora barely was able to stand. It wanted to sweep her with it. Vilkas noticed her struggle.

"Take my hand, Aurora! We must not lose each other."

Aurora was repelled by the thought of holding hands with Vilkas, but in that storm, she had no choice.

As he took her hand, he suddenly remembered. She was not a Nord. Her hand was cold as ice. She probably did not even understand how cold she was herself. If he did not get her to safety soon, she would be in risk of losing her hands and feet to gangrene.

Hand in hand, they struggled against the wind, and the man repeatedly ensured her that the shack was close. Only a few more minutes.

An extremely strong wind swept by and tore them apart. The much lighter Aurora could not do anything but hope that it would not take her right into the mountain, causing her to collapse. For what seemed like an eternity, the wind almost carried her. The woman could only let it lead her, at times getting a grip on the ground. When it calmed down slightly, Aurora stood up and looked around. She had no idea how far away Vilkas was or in what direction the storm was taking her.

She yelled his name, but to no avail. Her words drowned in the force of the wind. The snowstorm had wiped out her footsteps and she had no idea of where she had ended up. The woman ran out to the wilderness, but she could barely see any further than a few yards. How would she find him in this weather?

There was whiteness everywhere around her. That endless, skin-tearing storm was the worst she had ever experienced. That was her strongest fear: frost. Cold. She could not see anything. The steps she had taken were wiped out from existence. How would she even find him in that weather? Would she die out here? Aurora pushed that thought away. No. She had to fight. She was going to find him and she would crush him for letting go and leaving her there. She moved downhill and fell. The hard surface of the snow was tearing her hands like ice. She started to bleed, but she did not care. Vilkas must be here somewhere. He could not possibly have gone far, the wind was too strong. She had been outside for what seemed like an eternity, and hypothermia had started to break down her body. That was really bad, she realised. A couple of more minutes and she would lose her consciousness. That was equal to death. Aurora ran up the hill again. She ran and ran. Her lungs protested. Her throat felt like it was tearing from the inside. She had no idea for how long she had been climbing that hill. She only realised that she had gone far too high when she saw something dark in the snow.

"Aurora! Aurora!" He ran and threw himself in the snow next to her. He looked at the crying woman and took her head between his hands. Vilkas' look went from her exhausted face to the hands, which were turning blue.

Vilkas put his right arm around her and tried to pull her up, but she was heavy. Thankfully, she could still support her own weight. Together they staggered forwards for some minutes until they finally reached a small shack.

There was not much in it. A bed with some furs stood against one of the walls. The door was located next to the fireplace, and in between, there was not much space.

The man helped Aurora to the bed.

"You have to remove your armour. The metal..."

With an exhausted look, Aurora began to undo the buckles, but her fingers would not bend. Vilkas helped her with the armour, gauntlets and boots before he covered her with furs.

His hands were no were near normal temperature, but Auroras were swollen and blue. He took her hands into his to warm her. As he did that, she had already fallen asleep.

"Good morning," she said after observing the man for a while. He sat with his back towards her, looking at the fire.

When he heard the woman's voice, he turned his head. He had been up all night, Aurora could tell. The beast had not let him rest.

"Oh, Aurora. Good. We have nothing to eat, but the weather is much better, so we can continue homewards and hunt something on the way."

Aurora nodded. Her fingers and toes ached badly when she tried to remove the furs and get up. Vilkas turned around completely and took her fingers into his hands.

"Much better now than yesterday. Are you in pain, though?"

"A little."

"Aye, thought so. Be glad that I didn't have to cut them off. A few more hours out there would have brought that result."

When he silenced, he noticed her staring at him, slightly in shock. The woman contracted her arms, forcing Vilkas to let go. A quiet awkwardness arose.

"I..."

"Yes, we should go," he quickly said.

Aurora got up on her feet, happy that she had her leather apparel on. She took her armour and got dressed. How strangely he behaved, the wolf. Obviously, she had impressed him the day before, but that kind of care he showed her was more than required.

She was confused. Her contradictory feelings towards him made it difficult for her to act normal around him, and his sudden personality switch perplexed her even more. He was caring, not at all like when they jumped from the town wall outside of Whiterun. Now he behaved like a gentleman.

When Aurora opened the door, she was met by the most beautiful sight. They were close to the top of the mountain – overlooking the flatlands. She could see miles and miles away. Once again, the woman was struck by the beauty of the frozen land.

The Companions descended rather quickly. Vilkas was used to running on a mixture of ice and snow, whilst Aurora was naturally nippy and slick.

As the shield-siblings approached a narrow part of the mountain where trees grew, Aurora suddenly noticed a pair of eyes. She slowed down and felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll take care of it," Vilkas whispered with a commanding voice.

Aurora did not say anything whilst giving him the bow. Her fingers were too sore to even prepare an arrow.

The deer was some thirty yards away, standing on the edge of the forest. Between them, there was a flat space with a shallow cover of snow.

Vilkas' arrow hit the deer right in the head, killing it instantly. With a proud grin, he got up and ran towards the woody area.

Aurora followed suit, but Vilkas was so fast. In woody areas, her neatness was to great advantage, but on a flat surface, she did not stand a chance. After only a few seconds, he had already taken five yards on her.

At his point, however, Vilkas wished that he had been more considerate. With a violent crack, he went through the ice. Aurora stopped quickly and looked at the river. It was frozen on top, but below the icy crust, water ran freely towards the lake.

She could see that Vilkas was panicking. His heavy armour pulled him downwards. She would need to help him. Fast.

The woman threw herself on the ice close to where Vilkas had gone through and gave him her arm, pulling backwards at the same time. He was immensely heavy. She would never be able to pull him out by herself. Luckily, the stream was narrow, and he managed to push himself up by leaning on the ice on the other side with one of his feet.

"You are soaking wet, we need to get you back to the shack," Aurora said.

Vilkas could do nothing but nod.

"You go ahead and I'll get the deer," she continued.

With a leap, Aurora was on the other side and hurried towards the deer. The arrow had hit it perfectly between the eyes, penetrating the skin and cranium. She did not know if it was luck or the fact that he was a good archer that had resulted in this situation. After all, he used to hunt with Ria, even though Aurora suspected it was more of an excuse to sleep with the whelp than actual hunting. They returned with some antlers or furs once in a while, but more than often, they returned empty handed.

She took it over her shoulder and prepared to jump across the stream again. As she reached the side of it, the woman realised it would be hopeless to jump with a deer hanging from the shoulder. She had to throw it

Aurora took the deer by the rear legs, and circling it around her, she threw it to the other side. It fell a few yards away from the stream. With a new leap, Aurora too came to the other side.

When there, she cut out some pieces of meat and left the rest of the deer to be eaten by a sabre cat. Hopefully, it would take a while before a creature of that kind would pick up the smell and come running there.

Within minutes, Aurora had chosen some pieces of the deer, pierced them with her sword and started her walk up the mountain.

* * *

**Thank you for following this story, and especially to those of you who review/favourite it. It makes my day receiving a mail that informs about this :) I won't be able to write for some days as I have to build a small car for my mechanics course, but two more chapters are finished and will be uploaded and posted in a few days.**


	23. Chapter 23

As she reached the shack, Vilkas had undressed and gotten into bed. All of his leather and textile apparel was hanging above the unlit fireplace. Aurora quickly lit it with a fire spell, after which she cut a piece of meat from the deer, pierced it with her sword and placed it above the fire.

Then her attention turned to Vilkas. He was shivering violently. She needed to raise his body temperature quickly. Even Nords could freeze to death.

She started to undress, making Vilkas looking at her in shock.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm saving you, you icebrain. Body heat."

"I don't need it. I can handle myself. As a Nord I will be warm within minutes."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Aurora only spared her loincloth and got in bed next to Vilkas. He was cold. Very cold. Yet he did not wish for her to be there – not so close. He could still see her slim and athletic body in front of him. Vilkas laid on his back and the woman on the side, facing him. He could feel her breath on his neck.

He too turned to face her, but pushed his hip area backwards. It indeed only took a few minutes before he was warm – for better or worse. He could feel his erection growing stronger by the minute. That woman smelled so good. Her scent was perfect in every way.

Aurora loved the fact that she could sense smells much better than before. He was aroused, she could smell it, and she would make fun of him. The fact that he tried to hide it all was even better.

He leaned forwards, with his mouth close to hers, he suddenly asked:

"Can I have you?"

She gave him a shocked look, shook her head and quickly got up from bed. Damn him! She was unsure about what to do, but felt a strange need to have him. This was what he had told her about earlier. This was what Farkas was experiencing too. It was magnificent and awful at the same time. Never had it been easier to turn her on, but her brain struggled to regain control and realise that this was a bad idea.

She automatically started to undress her loincloth whilst seductively moving her hips from side to side. In a way, she loved the war it caused inside of Vilkas. He showed it openly, but it was no idea to try to hide it. She knew he would not turn her down. He had even suggested sleeping together before.

He could feel the two spirits inside him fight fiercely. His human mind did not like her at all, he was sure. She was arrogant, always managed to anger him and too sure about herself. No beauty could hide that. On the other hand, her body was indeed juicy. Her scent was mesmerising. She had awoken the beast within him, and he tried desperately to break free of the mental chains Vilkas had caged him in. After a while, he could no longer control it completely.

His human spirit was losing against the beast. As much as he despised that woman, he could not hide his passion for her. Even though she had rejected him, he removed the fur and exposed his erected manhood for her. It was a determined and hard move.

Feeling challenged, she let her arms go through her hair and then caress the breasts whilst laughing softly. The warm fire had made the room rather hot, leaving Aurora's body full with small pearls of sweat that shone in the light. She was very aware of the fact that men generally desired her. The Imperial was not as stocky as Nord women often were, making many men prefer her. Even Vilkas looked to have fallen for the urge to hold her body in his arms. Even Vilkas.

When reached a certain point, Vilkas no longer knew the difference between his own arousal and the beast's instinct to mate. He wanted her there and now. Aurora noticed how his gazes became hungrier, almost desperate, and by that point, she started to fear him a little. It did not matter how well trained she was, Vilkas may not have been as large as his brother, but he was still huge compared to Aurora and weighted almost two times more than she did. If this game got too far, she did not know what would happen.

It hit him. It was fear. He could smell it. Gods! He had to do something. He needed to trap the beast, but it was so hard. It was so, so hard for him. His body ached for her, it needed her, the only thing on his mind was to enter her, to leave his scent on her. She would be his and only his...

"Aaaagh!" He yelled. It was a deep, loud scream, leaving Aurora even more shocked. "Stop that, woman, you have no idea of what that childish act of yours can cause!"

Vilkas got up and placed himself in front of Aurora, desperately trying to avoid looking at her breasts or naked shoulders. She could read him like an open book, making her feel more secure about her choice. The woman felt that he was struggling to control himself. Aurora smiled cheekily and reached for his erected manhood. She would tease him further. When looking down at it, it shocked her how big it was. On Farkas, it looked proportional, but Vilkas' was about the same size.

Before she had time to reach it, he had grabbed her by the wrists. It hurt as if he had bound her with a rope and pulled tight. He quickly distanced himself somewhat from Aurora. It had been too close. She was oblivious to what she did to him, and he had been all too close to let the beast control him. Had he broken free, Gods know what he would have done to her! His heart started beating faster. He had been close to taking her by force. Gods! What had he done? He could have hurt her. A wave of angst came over him, but his face had not changed. He was still the master of his own mind. So far, nothing had happened. Vilkas had no desire telling her how unbearably attractive she was and what impact she had on him, but felt that it was necessary to warn her again. With a somewhat mean look, he continued:

"I am a werewolf, woman. You are playing with fire here. You are teasing me, but every single instinct tells me to have you, and if I can't have it, I could rape you." He spitted out the words, looking at her angrily whilst taking a step back.

Her hatred for the man had turned out to be a source of desire. He was very manly, she could not deny it, and the way he had threatened her fed her curious side. She wanted him inside her, but she also wanted to hurt him. Lust, a slight fear and nervousness ran through her. She had never done that before – sleeping with a man she had promised herself never to even touch. She had been disgusted with him, but now he did not seem too bad. Oh, why was she lying to herself? He was fantastic. Beautiful.

She broke free of his grip and looked into his gaze. There were many sentiments expressed in those eyes too. He tried to calm down, but was so angry with her. He wanted to punish her, to take her by force so that she would never cross him again.

He did not have to. With a sudden move, she kissed him. That broke the barriers for him. The only thing he thought of was that he was free to do everything he wanted with her. He did not think of the consequences this might have for their professional relationship or the group dynamics. Vilkas Only thought of penetrating her.

The kiss was exhausting. A rush went through both of them. There was something incredibly arousing with feeling her arch nemesis' tongue hungrily reaching hers. It was intense when it came to both rhythm and sense.

Aurora felt how Vilkas' hand was placed on her thigh. That bastard whom she had despised from the first day was touching her and it made her... excited somehow. His hand slowly moved closer to her intimate area, touching her outer labia. His eyes were calm, but had some sort of anger to them. He did not look at her like a lover would, more as if it was of hate. Yes, his bright blue eyes glow of despise. They were cold like the stream he had fallen into some while ago. With a wrinkled forehead and a predator's look on its prey, he harshly grabbed her where he held his hand, making her eyes signal pain.

"Have me!" she commanded. He could no longer withstand. With an unrelenting force, he threw her on her stomach. She was like a rag doll in the force of his strength. He grabbed her hips and pulled them upwards, close to his own thighs. Vilkas wanted to have her like a dog. The sight of her genitals was stimulating, and the fact that he would enter her made him sweat even more.

As he pressed his manhood against her, he noticed that her opening was not dilated enough to take him. Her body was not prepared for his size, but he did not care about her pleasure. He just wanted to take her, cold-bloodedly.

She screamed in agony as he pressed the glans into her. The sensation was nothing like she ever experienced before. When Brynjolf inserted his fist into her, he was gentle and slow, but the man behind her was not as considerate. She could feel how he ripped her, but his brutal hold of her hips hurt even more. In a way she enjoyed the pain, but even more she enjoyed seeing the shadow of Vilkas.

He was half way in when Aurora thought that she could take no more. She crunched in pain, but Vilkas just pushed on. She was not sure that he would stop if she would ask him to, and the thought of it excited her. Never had she been in a position like this before. She was always in control, and it was very different now. Of course, she could have kicked him down to the floor, which probably would sabotage the atmosphere and Vilkas' mood. That would be her only escape, but a possible one.

She decided to endure it instead, and after a while, her sex started to adjust itself after Vilkas' manhood.

The moment when he reached the end was almost too much for Vilkas. Normally, he needed a lot of stimulation to cum, but in the heat of the moment, he nearly climaxed. He quickly pulled out to notice his pre-cum. With a quick stroke, he removed it. He took a grip of his manhood and was just about to penetrate her again when he realised that she bled. He had torn her. The sight and smell of blood was unexplainably arousing to the beast. Vilkas bent down and licked it all up with two determined moves with his tongue.

When he penetrated her again, her arousal in combination with his size made her climax. It was nothing like with any other man's penis. Only Brynjolf could accomplish the same results with his hand as Vilkas now did with his manhood.

When she tightened around him, Vilkas was brought unbearably close to climax. He stopped for a moment, caging his wolf before the woman's body relaxed.

"I want to have your mouth," she heard him say. It was not a question.

She agreed and placed herself on the edge of the bed. To her surprise, it was nothing like when she gave head to Brynjolf. Vilkas was far more demanding. His sheer size made her jaw cramp, but the largest difference lay in the way he held her. He had a firm, unforgiving grip of her hair and held her in place. Instead, he moved back and forth, trying to get down in her throat.

Aurora started to cough. Her reflex was too much for her, Vilkas noticed. He did not push quite as far in after that, for which Aurora was thankful. She was, however still surprised with what brutality he took her. Normally, she would suck and lick a man's penis, but Vilkas allowed none of that. He just did what he liked to.

He was close to climax, Aurora could tell. She expected him to pull out so that she would not have to take his sperm, but he did not. Aurora pushed her head backwards, but Vilkas held it in a firm grip, allowing her to go nowhere. Suddenly, he started to pump, and his movements became stronger. He pushed his manhood as far in as he could, forcing her to swallow his ejaculation. She was not sure about how she felt when it came to that. In a way, she liked the fact that he had helped himself. She loved that about a man. On the other, she knew that he despised her, and with that in mind, it felt as if he wanted to degrade her.

After a few seconds, he pulled out. Collapsing next to her, he turned his face away.


	24. Chapter 24

By midday, Aurora and Vilkas got up without saying a word. They spent the time it took to dress in silence, and it seemed as the trip back to Whiterun would be the same. Aurora was very confused – not only about the situation, but of her feelings towards the man next to her too. She had despised him since her first day in Jorrvaskr and was sure he felt the same towards her, but now she could not make up her mind about him. Some of his attributes that she had disliked had turned to attraction, but he still had traits that drove her mad. Aurora had realised it overnight – that she suddenly found him... interesting.

The pair had reached the flatlands in just an hour. Vilkas led the way rather quickly, meaning they would arrive at Nightgate inn before nightfall.

He had probably just kept up the pace due to them already walking that section earlier that day, not minding about the view this time, but Aurora could not help but to think that he was avoiding her.

When thinking about how they had lain next to each other without saying a word, the sense of regret grew stronger. Not even a midday greeting had escaped his lips, not to mind some kind of analysis.

The descending had been physically demanding too. Running downhill, especially when in woody areas required concentration. Her breath was strained and she felt cramps in her muscles.

"Do you need a break, Imperial?" Vilkas asked. Apparently, he too needed rest.

"I could go on, question is if you have the powers to."

Vilkas groaned. He needed some rest, but would not admit such a thing for her. He was a Companion after all, and not a new blood. She, on the other hand... Vilkas was sure that the whelp... Aurora wanted to sit down for a while.

Aurora felt a competitiveness breaking out between them. To be honest, she was tired from the walk, and her toes were still sore from yesterday. Eating just before going out was not a great idea either as she felt a pain on the right side of her stomach.

Staring into each other's eyes, Vilkas made a small gesture that could have been regarded as a suggestion to sit down. Aurora bent herself as to sit down, but when she saw that the man was waiting for her to sit down first, she got up again.

Vilkas smirked and sat down.

The atmosphere between them was uncomfortable, and Vilkas was not making it better by challenging her. Aurora felt that it was about time to break it.

"Your manhood is large, by the way." Her voice was soft, complementing him.

The man smiled and looked at her with the eyelids half closed. Flirtingly, he then proceeded.

"It is not the first time I hear those words from a woman."

"Well, you are not the first I've uttered those words to."

"Damn you, woman."

Aurora laughed and saw Vilkas turn his face away from her, grinning. Silence followed, so the Imperial decided to get down to business.

"I still dislike you, wolf," she suddenly exclaimed. Vilkas seemed surprised, but did not lose himself. He laughed lightly, as if it had been words unable to accomplish any damage to him.

"I'm sorry. About yesterday, I mean."

That was unexpected. Aurora was confused. Did he regret it, or was he apologising for something else? She could not comprehend the fact that he could feel guilty for the things he said or did to her. Not in bed, nor in life.

"Why?"

Damn that woman. Was she really forcing him to talk about it? Well, he owed her. If she wanted to drag an apology out of him, he just had to give her one.

"Well, I... lost control. I hope I didn't scare ya."

"I've heard your brother say the exact same thing," she smiled. "I can't say that I've ever been with a man who ignored my wishes in bed, but in a way, I enjoyed being submissive. And that is the _only_ time I enjoy being submissive." She laughed and intentionally looked a bit grumpy. Misunderstandings were not welcome in this situation.

"In all fairness, yesterday very much represented who I am. It is an impulse that I choose not to withstand, even though I usually don't let it out so fast."

He had picked up a straw of grass, breaking it repeatedly. His eyes avoided hers, fixating them on the ground in front of him. The woman got closer to him and placed her left arm on his right shoulder, pulling him downwards, closer to her

"How are you usually in the sack for the first time with a new woman, then?" she almost whispered.

"That depends on the woman. If it's some bar wench, I generally just get on with it."

"And what would you usually have done with me?"

He gave her an unintentional smile, still with his gaze on the ground. "I can't deny the fact that you are a woman."

"I bloody hope so," she laughed. "Come on, wolf. Tell me."

His expression changed drastically before he turned to her, looking at the hand she had placed on his shoulder. She understood the wink and leaned back. It had felt good, almost natural to sit down close to him, but his reaction made her realise her mistake.

"We are not friends, Aurora. Don't try to force some kind of relationship upon me."

Those words hurt her more than she would ever admit. She thought something had changed between them, that they were becoming friends. Vilkas had opened up a lot since the beginning of their trip, and those words seemed as they came out of the blue. Apparently she was wrong. He disliked her as much now as he did her first day.

"Perhaps that was too soon. Oh, I know. What about Ria?" The last sentence was not just teasing. She expressed it with such abhorrence that it led the conversation beyond repair.

He turned to face her. His eyes were burning once more, piercing her.

"That was not amusing," he warned her.

"Why? Can't be honest about the fact that you share your sack with her once in a while?"

"Why are we talking about this?" He calmed down slightly, but was still angry with her. He wrinkled his forehead and looked thoughtful.

"Have you told her that you go to other women?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Are you jealous?"

Yes! How could he be so blind? She had done nothing but to long for him for the past days. Well, she had not, but her beast spirit did. He had one too, he should know... Oh, that was it. How silly of her. It truly was the wolf and nothing more. It was just like those weeks ago, nothing had changed at all. He still despised her.

"You can sleep with whoever you want, I don't care! As you put it – it is not like we are friends or something just because I had you. I just need a manhood once in a while."

"Oh, is that what I am to you? A provider of an organ?" He sounded entertained by her choice of words.

Aurora was getting more and more upset, losing her temper. Without thinking, she rushed up and threw insults at the man.

"I contemn you! Last night was nothing more than letting my werewolf spirit mate."

"Well good for you! At least I don't have to feel guilty for scaring ya..."

"You disgust me."

Aurora had given him a killing gaze. With determined steps, she walked away. She had no idea of where Nightgate Inn could be, or even in which direction to walk, but it did not matter. She was furious and would just go where her feet took her.

"Two rooms, please. And some stew."

Hadring nodded and took the coins Aurora offered, after which he took a plate and walked up to the fire where a cooking pot hung.

Vilkas was looking at her, but Aurora pretended not to notice. Her gaze followed the innkeeper as he moved around, preparing her meal.

As the day had passed, her mind slowly came back to her. Once again she started to feel that dislike for the man she was travelling with, regretting what they had done. She had promised herself never to let a man emotionally wound her again, and even though Vilkas was no where near important enough to hurt her, the idea of not even being friends did. She had lightened up around him for the first time, and he had even said all that romantic crap about her name.

When Hadring gave her the plate, she immediately turned around and went for her room. Vilkas followed her to the door.

"Good night then."

She did not turn around. How she hated him for being that two faced. It was all right to sleep together, but being friends was a bit too much to ask for apparently. Well, damn him. She did not need him, not then or ever.

"What, so you don't even wish me a good night anymore?" He sounded genuinely troubled.

"I would, but I'm not a liar."

Leaving him surprised, she closed the door behind her.

It had been over an hour, but she could still not fall asleep. It was not so much due to thoughts running through her head, but it too was a reason. The main one was the beast blood, though. It was tormenting not to be able to fall asleep. No matter how she turned around in bed, no position seemed comfortable enough to give her even minutes of sleep.

To her great surprise, she heard a knock on the door. It was barely hearable, but since everything around her was quiet, she could hear it well. The woman answered the knock by whispering that it was open.

It was dark, but she knew who it was based on the smell. The man shut the door and moved uncomfortably across the floor towards Aurora.

"Hey, I couldn't sleep. Thought the same might apply to you."

Not receiving an answer, he proceeded:

"I... I just wanted to put some things straight between us."

"You already have, _wolf_."

"You say it as if it disgusts you."

Once again he was met with complete silence from the woman.

"What I wanted to say is that I'm fine being, as you put it, a provider of an organ." Once more, he said it laughing.

"Excuse me?"

"It's just... Don't take this as a compliment or anything, but I enjoyed it. Most women are shocked and repelled by the thought."

No answer. He waited for a while to listen to her breathing, hoping it would expose something, but she sat there, in complete silence.

"Good grief, woman, you are not making it easy. Say something!"

"I don't know where you are going with this."

"Fine, I'll make it even more obvious then," he sighed whilst probably smiling. "I want to have you as a lover."

"I qualified?" she asked sarcastically.

"Fine, be desperate and lonely. What do I care? I try to help a woman in need, and what do I get?"

"I can have any man I want. Why would I take _you_ as a lover? There are many far worthier men in Whiterun. Men I actually like."

"Who, Farkas?"

"Don't you dare, wolf!"

"Why, feeling a bit promiscuous? Not many women are in that position that they can compare twin brothers."

She was rendered speechless. Never had she been out of words before. How dared he? Aurora stretched for one of her boots that were standing below the bed and threw it in the direction where she had heard Vilkas.

With a 'clonk' it hit the wall on the other side of the room. So, he could be sneaky too. Well damn him.

* * *

**Back from writing on my university project! I've decided on how the story is going to end now, but there are about five or six chapters left until that, and to be honest, I don't really know how to tie things together. The last chapters will therefore be less planned than the previous ones, so I'll be keeping it rather short since I don't like fiction that goes on forever without any action relevant to the story occurring. **


	25. Chapter 25

The walk up the stairs to the Skyforge was the worst one Aurora ever experienced. The thought of that her Harbinger would lay there lifelessly on a pile of wood, waiting for the flames to consume him was a difficult thing to imagine. She hated funerals – there was nothing positive about them at all, no matter what people said about the joyful afterlife. Kodlak was gone forever from this world. When realising that he was condemned to an eternal hunt with Hircine against his expressed will, Aurora became even more depressed. He had not deserved to die. He was too good, too wise

By the looks of Vilkas, he had a hard time too. Probably even a tougher one since he had been raised by Kodlak. Besides, Kodlak was the only one except his brother that liked to listen to what Vilkas had to say. Oh, and Ria of course, but Aurora could not possibly imagine Vilkas being interested with her stupid "I killed a bear yesterday, look at me!"

The evening setting was calm. No wind in the air and no clouds in the blue. It very much reflected Kodlak's personality, Aurora thought before pinching herself for being too sentimental and tacky. Why would she not just get over it? She was a loner and would always remain one. It was better not to get too attached to people in the earthy life, she would lose them all anyway.

Ignoring the man next to her, she placed herself as far away the stairs as possible. The others were standing around the forge in a half circle, led by Aela. Whoever decorated it had done a marvellous job. Red drapes covered the stones, and candles were lit around Kodlak's body.

Eorlund's stepped forward and asked with a serious voice:

"Who will start?"

"I'll do it." Aela stayed put and cleared her throat. She closed her eyes and wrinkled her forehead, obviously this was difficult even for her. She took a torch and walked up to the forge. With a sigh, she placed it between the beams.

Aurora wondered what was happening. In Cyrodiil, they just dug down their dead in coffins into the ground. She was not familiar with the Nord custom of, what she guessed, burning. In a way, she preferred that method. She had always disliked the cemetery outside of the Imperial City due to its depressing atmosphere. Death was an integral part of her every day life – she had known many a soldier who had died out in the battlefields, but the way it was portrayed... It seemed rather awful to just... disappear.

"Before the ancient flame..." Aela said with a powerful voice.

"We grieve," said Vilkas, followed by all the others. It was like a choir of voices.

"At this loss," Eorlund continued.

Aurora stood there quiet, not knowing the right words to say. Her gaze went from Aela to Ria. The young woman looked very melancholic with her frozen facial expression and slightly bent posture. It was as if she was numb, they all looked the same.

"We weep."

"For the fallen..." Vilkas began.

Her heart could have broken. The man was holding back burning tears of regret. Aurora could probably never understand the self-hatred he must have felt for not being able to defend Kodlak when he needed to. She had a weak spot for cold, masculine men who showed emotion once in a while, not any time, but this was an appropriate one. The woman wanted to press Vilkas' head against her chest and comfort him. Not as a child, but as a worrier who was reassured by his companion. What a proud man he was, Vilkas. He stood with his chin high and shoulders straight, facing the death of his forebear. With sorrow, but relentless honour.

"We shout."

"And for ourselves..." She heard Farkas' tone.

Farkas, she had almost forgotten about him. He did not look at her, but she was sure it was more about the thought of Kodlak than condemnation of her. He probably felt the same as his brother, but it was much more evident in him. Farkas could be read like a book, not at all like his enigma-like twin.

"We take our leave."

"His spirit is departed. Companions, let us withdraw to the Hall, to grieve our last together. Members of the Circle, I request a meeting in the Underforge tomorrow evening."

Aurora's look turned to her shield-sister. The Imperial could do nothing but admire the huntress too. She was gathered, even more so than the brothers. Aela showed no sign of weakness whatsoever.

Just as Aurora was about to leave, the forge master stopped her.

"Do you have the fragments of Wuuthrad, still?" Eorlund asked. "I need to prepare them for mounting again."

She handled them over to him rather restlessly and turned around to follow the rest of her companions, but Eorlund stopped her once more, requesting she would go to Kodlak's chamber and bring him the last part of Wuuthrad. Aurora nodded and quickly followed her shield-siblings to Jorrvaskr.

Njada was lagging behind too, and waited for Aurora to finish her conversation with Eorlund. When her companion caught up, the woman put an arm around Aurora's shoulder. It had never occurred to the Dragonborn that she could receive comfort from Njada of all people. She was even colder than Vilkas most days – straight forward and avoiding conversations with other people, focusing on the art of war. However, even she softened up on a day like that.

"He will be missed," Njada said.

"Indeed, shield-sister. He was the best of us."

A part of her felt very uneasy about walking into Kodlak's private chamber. It was just too... private. Aurora had never even seen the inside of it as the old man had preferred to sit by the table just outside of the room. She was left standing there for minutes without moving an inch.

When she finally decided to, the woman carefully opened the door. The atmosphere of his chamber hit her hard. It was death. Emptiness. A haunting, quiet calmness hung in the air, but it was as if filled with a dragon's fiery breath. Two contradicting premises were coexisting, building an uncanny setting.

Upon deciding that she would not be there a second longer than necessary, she quickly began to look for the fragment. Being Kodlak, he had probably hidden it in an unexpected place. After searching through the goblets, behind weapons and under the bed and wardrobes, she was about to give up. She even crawled on the floor, knocking on it and listening after cracks that could expose a secret space, but to no avail. It was only after noticing a journal on side table, the woman guessed to look inside of it, finding the missing piece instantly.

It was not the object of her attention, though. The journal. His journal. She thought for a second, but decided that she dared not open it. She would let the old man have some privacy. Placing it back where it belonged, Aurora quickly got out of the room and immediately felt relieved. She would not set her foot inside of that place again. It reeked of death and misery.

The Dragonborn hurried upstairs and saw the others celebrating with mead and food. That was a custom in Cyrodiil too, she remembered. They celebrated the life of the deceased rather than grieving his death. She noticed that elves probably did not, based on how the elven Companion behaved.

Eorlund was not at the Skyforge, so Aurora had to walk through the town to his house in order to deliver the fragment. Somewhat annoyed and tired, she knocked on the forge master's door and entered.

"I have Kodlak's fragment," she said whilst placing it on a table near the door and quickly leaving before he could send her out on another mission.

The walk back to Jorrvaskr was not exactly pleasurable. Aurora caught herself cursing the weather for being too perfect on a day like that. Kodlak should be burned in a strong wind, and preferably even heavy rain. The sun was merely teasing her from above with its soft, pink shine and fluffy clouds.

She was so tired. The walk to Whiterun had been awful. Vilkas' was stressed that they would not have time to get back, forcing her to run for most of the way. He was better trained than she was, casting complaining gazes when she was lagging behind.

The mead was flooding when she entered the hall for the third time that night. Even Athis had joined the feast. Aurora felt sick by the thought of celebrating that night, she just wanted to get some rest from the challenges of the day, but was spotted by Aela when she walked through the door. The huntress stood up and waves enthusiastically at Aurora to join them. The Imperial shook her head, but her shield-sister ran up to her, dragging her with to the table where she presented her with a bottle of mead.

Almost forcing it down Aurora's throat, Aela laughed loudly. Even more so when the pressure in the bottle caused the fluid to fly up and out of it, up Aurora's nose. Farkas, who sat next to Aela laughed too, but the Dragonborn was not amused. With mead dripping from her hair, she called it a day.

To her surprise, Farkas caught her by the waist and prohibited her from leaving the hall before accepting his drinking challenge. He made her smile. Things were alright between them, after all.

"Well, I can't say no to a challenge and still call myself a Companion, can I?"

They got down on one knee in front of each other, with their hands behind their backs. Torvar placed two bottles before them and counted to three, before Aurora and Farkas both stretched for the mead and brought it to their mouths.

Aurora held two fingers around the muzzle and pressed it as far down her throat as possible. The gag reflex did not kick in as she was a used drinker, knowing how to empty the bottle in just four or five seconds. She was first to smash the empty flask to the floor, making her grin scornfully at Farkas.

"I can't believe it! Where did you learn to drink like a man?" he sounded genuinely impressed.

"I worked at a moon sugar plantation in Elsweyr. The workers were usually young men from abroad, some of them Nords. During some evening, we had nothing to do, so we used to steal beer from the owner of the plantation."

"Well, you may drink faster, but I can still drink _more_ than you," Farkas smiled whilst raising an eyebrow.

"A new challenge?" she laughed. "Bring it on!"

"Only empty bottles count. By the end of the night we'll see who is the better one of us," the man said and got up.

Aurora did the same and found a place by the table, next to Njada and Aela. She did not care that it was late or that she was tired, she wanted to win and prove herself. Perhaps that was not such a great idea, since drunkenness enhanced some of her more social sides.

She had watched Vilkas carefully. He was drinking a lot too, and engaging in conversation with Athis. Never during the whole night did he look at her, and it bothered her.

"Vilkas! You stupid wolf!" she laughed whilst falling into his lap.

He caught her from falling over on her head just as she threw herself on him. Cursing, she told Athis to bugger off. Vilkas' look went from shocked to showing pleasure and back when she opened her mouth again.

"You are a bad, bad" she threw her hand up close to his face, but was immediately confused and silenced by the peculiar thing with five fingers.

"I'm a bad what?" asked Vilkas' with a deep voice and a cheeky smile on his face.

"Oh, I can't remember..." she sighed. "But I do remember... that!" she let her hand touch Vilkas' crouch, causing him to jump slightly.

"I see you've been spending most of the night with my brother, perhaps you can go back to him... again." He hiccupped.

"I... never slept with Farkas," Aurora mumbled.

"Why?"

"You" she pointed at his chest. "are not going to believe it! I got my period when we were about to... you know". She waved around with her finger.

Vilkas bent forward, laughing hysterically. It caused him to lose grip of Aurora, making her roll under the table. Minutes later, when Vilkas already had left, her distant laughter could still be heard.


	26. Chapter 26

It felt like a sword had hit her, cleaving her head in the middle. Her throat craved water. As soon as she tried to open her eyes, nausea kicked in, making her rethink her actions. Slowly, she opened the right eye, being blended by the light. She pressed on, squinting her eyes to avoid most of it.

When her eyes and head finally cooperated, she realised the ceiling she saw was not the one in her sleeping quarters. The very same moment, she heard a male moan to the left of her. Her thoughts quickly came to what she was wearing.

Nothing. Gods! That was just great. Why did she never learn not to drink so much with men being present? It always ended like that. Oh, well. There was nothing she could do about it now except from minimalizing the damage. Carefully, to avoid her head to burst, she raised herself up.

Vilkas. Oh great.

She hit him on the arm to wake him up as she whispered his name with an annoyed tone. He did not react at first, but then slowly turned around.

"Aurora?" he asked with a very surprised look on his face.

"Well, this was unexpected," she said sarcastically, hiding her face in her hands.

The man was recovering from the shock of being wakened, but still had to face the fact that he had shared his bed with _her_.

"What did you do to me yesterday? It is dishonest to use a man who is drunk beyond sanity," he said without any hint of humour.

"Oh, I must have been so, _so_ wasted to get in bed with you. Feeling the shame growing stronger by the second," she cried out.

"Shit, Ria!"

He jerked and tried to get up of bed, but his headache prohibited him from going anywhere. He sat on the edge of the bed, with his hands stroking the face.

"Brilliant, now look what you've done." Aurora threw her hands up in dismay.

Vilkas turned his head and gave her a killing gaze before he defied the pain and got up, starting to get dressed.

"From what I can recall, you are the one to blame." He reached for his pants and begun to figure out which way to put them on. Confused, he first put his right leg through the left hole before realising his mistake. "I could only ever sleep with you if my beast blood became unbearable, _you_ on the other hand..."

"I what?!"

The pants were on, but he had a hard time finding his tunic. He did not answer her immediately, but when he did, it was with a low voice, perhaps to avoid straining his head too much.

"You have been trembling after me since we first..."

"Don't flatter yourself, wolf."

He looked at the woman in his bed. She had pulled the cover over her breasts, curling up against the bedframe. Aurora indeed looked angry with him and somewhat disgusted with herself. He did not know what was appropriate to say in that situation, so as he reached for the door handle, he turned around and said:

"Just... don't expect flowers or anything."

He did not know what answer to expect, but her eyes flung wide open.

"Shut the damn door you icebrain!"

Well, that was unexpected. Aurora let her head fall down towards her chest, moaning. It was only then it crossed him and he looked through the door.

Aela was just passing Vilkas' door when it flung open, exposing a rather interesting scene.

The huntress's eyes were wide open, but she did not lose herself.

"I don't even need to ask you what happened, I can tell by the smell..."

Vilkas groaned and hurried out to the corridor, trying to get away from the crime scene as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Aurora wrapped the cover around her and got up, searching for her clothes.

"Aela, please," was all she could say.

"But I thought you two didn't get along..."

Her armour was spread out around the room. Her chest and back plates were close to the door, her boots closer to the bed, and the gauntlets on a table.

"We don't. Ok, Aela? I really must take a bath and get this crap off me."

She could not stand to see Aela's judging gaze, so she stretched for her loincloth that was under the bed. However, she had to know. Aela was as good as anyone to ask.

"Could you please tell me what happened yesterday?"

Her breast binding was between the sheets. The moment she was decent enough to drop the cover, a desperate search for her pants begun.

Aela took a step closer, leaning against the door bar with crossed arms. She obviously enjoyed the moment.

"Nothing, that's the thing. Vilkas went to bed about an hour before you did..."

"Oh great, then I am the opportunist," Aurora sighed.

A few seconds later, Vilkas was back. He looked concerned and was short of breath.

"Where is Ria?" he uttered rather loudly.

The two women looked at him, but Aurora quickly decided it was more important finding a tunic and her jacket than answering stupid questions she had no answer to.

"I don't know," Aela said.

Vilkas was worried. His forehead was wrinkled, and his body language was anxious.

"Does she know something?"

"I doubt it. I was just telling Aurora that you went to bed..."

Aurora threw her a warning look and shook her head. Thankfully, the huntress caught her wink.

"... at separate times," she said whilst looking at her shield-sister. She was a bad liar, but luckily, Vilkas was too occupied with his own troubles to notice.

"When you see her, don't you dare tell her anything before I get to it. Aela, you owe me for not telling people about you and Skjor when I caught the two of you." He showed her a warning finger.

"Everyone knew about me and him anyway..." Aela begun.

"Yeah, but it was a bit too early after your acceptance, was it not?"

She silenced for a moment before uttering a curse. Vilkas' look turned to the woman in his bed.

"Aurora, just... keep your mouth shut."

"What? Got nothing on me?" she asked cockily.

"Everyone already thinks you and Farkas had a fling, would it not be uncomfortable if it got out that you've had both brothers?"

"It's not as if I want this to get out either, _wolf_."

One might think that it would reassure the man, but he only crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, positioning himself as his shield-sister. A curse escaped his mouth.

Aurora was dressed by then, picking up her armour. Aela was saying something to the man, but Aurora could not bother listening to it. She was analysing the wolf's reaction to the whole situation. They both had a reason to feel ashamed, but he was more than that. Sure, they both probably regretted the night's events, but Vilkas behaved as if he had something to hide. Not for her, though.

"Just out of curiosity, so the time in the shack didn't count?" Aurora interrupted.

Once again, Aela's look changed. It was as if an unusually juicy piece of meat was presented to her. Her eyes widened once more and her mouth opened.

"You've done this before? You two seem to have a hard time keeping your hands from one another when intoxicated," she laughed.

"We weren't drunk. It just happened," Vilkas answered whilst piercing Aela with his look. He looked grumpy, but oh so dark and attractive at the same time.

"You _accidently_ slept together?" she continued whilst smiling.

The man lowered his gaze to his own feet, thinking. Aurora was spellbound by him. He looked amazing when he was like that – dark, mysterious...

"You know it yourself, Aela. The beast blood."

"I never cheated," she stated shortly.

"Skjor had the blood too. Ria doesn't. Besides, we are not a pair."

"Then why all this guilt?" the huntress said as if to interrogate him.

"Because no matter what, I care for my shield-siblings."

Aurora laughed scornfully. Aela and Vilkas both turned their gazes to her, shocked.

"Not for me, though."

"I care of everyone in this house," he said whilst looking at her with a glimpse of offense. Soon thereafter, he left.

"You do?" Aurora asked with a sigh. Aela's gaze turned to her.

"Not you too," she moaned.

Until now, Aurora had not felt that she had done something outright wrong when sharing her sack with Vilkas, but her conscience kicked in when she thought of Ria. The poor girl was enamoured, and they were having some kind of relationship. Hopefully, Vilkas had been honest enough to inform her about how he felt when it came to their association. He probably had, he was not a bad man, after all. She believed him when he said that he cared for them all, it was just that he did it in his own way.

She had never gone after that type of men before. She was a practical woman, not out for complicated, dark men. Casual liaisons, those were her thing, not mind games with mysterious warriors. It was something new and exciting, though, filling her with life and... butterflies.

After taking a bath, she went upstairs to the main hall where she met Eorlund. He had been looking for her.

"Your shield-siblings have withdrawn to the Underforge. I think they're waiting for you."

"Thank you. Do you know where the others are? Ria and Njada for instance?"

"Out in the courtyard, training."

Aurora thanked him and took a breather. She had no intentions of running into Ria. She went out through the main doors and headed towards the Underforge.

Ria was about the same age as her, she realised. How strange it felt, she was much more experienced than that little girl. Ria was still naïve, thinking it was an amazing thing just to slay a bear or a pack of wolves. Apparently, the Companions had been desperate before Aurora got there. Combat was not the only thing Ria was inexperienced in – she had not had many men either. Vilkas was just... nothing for a new beginner.

"The old man had one wish before he died. And he didn't get it. It's as simple as that," was the first thing she heard when she entered the not-so-secret-anymore place called 'the Underforge'.

Aela, Farkas and Vilkas stood around the fountain, arguing.

"Being moon-born is not so much of a curse as you might think, Vilkas." Aela said with an annoyed, defensive tone.

"That's fine for you. But he wanted to be clean. He wanted to meet Ysgramor and know the glories of Sovngarde. But all that was taken from him."

"And you avenged him."

"Kodlak did not care for vengeance," the bigger twin said.

"No, Farkas, he didn't. And that's not what this is about. We should be honouring Kodlak, no matter our own thoughts on the blood."

Aurora stepped forward, raising her hand to interrupt the others.

"Aela, it's not a question of whether if _you_ want to do this or not. It was Kodlak who wished to be freed from what he thought was a curse. Nobody is forcing you to give it up."

She went quiet for a while, crossing her arms again. The huntress was not happy with the situation and did not hide it.

"Fine, I'm in," she finally said.

"Kodlak used to speak of a way to cleanse his soul, even in death. You know the legends of the Tomb of Ysgramor."

It took them about ten minutes to discuss the problem of entering the tomb without Wuuthrad. Aurora did not know much about that place, so she kept quiet, carefully listening for leads from the rest of the Circle. It appeared as the axe was needed for proving that they were real Companions. Aurora thought of Eorlund and the discussion they had the night before. He was planning that all along...

Thinking of the trolls. The door opened and Eorlund appeared behind them, holding a weapon in both of his hands. All the Companions turned their attention to the forge master.

"Is that? Did you repair the blade?" Vilkas asked with admiration in his tone.

"This is the first time I've had all the pieces, thanks to our shield-sister here." As the one who bore the fragments, I think you should be the one to carry Wuuthrad into battle. But the rest of you, prepare to journey to the Tomb of Ysgramor. For Kodlak."

"Are you keeping it?" Farkas asked as he and Aurora left the Underforge.

She looked at him, searching for clues in his face. He was in good spirits, probably eager to prove himself for Kodlak's sake.

"It's too dangerous. I don't want to end up like my werewolf spirit. Cold-blooded."

"Then we free ourselves too," Farkas smiled.

"We do. You go and prepare for the trip, I have a few heads I need to pick up from Breezehome. I take it as your brother wants to purify himself too?"

The man nodded. As they went separate ways, Aurora felt followed. She did not look back, though. She continued down the stairs towards the Gildergreen. There was a little girl sitting there. She had been for a while now; Aurora had seen her there more than once. Poor child, she thought. This civil war tore families apart and even forced younglings to beggary. A shame that was.

She realised that she had begun to sympathise more and more with the Stormcloaks. After meeting Elisif at the embassy a while ago, she was convinced that woman was a wimp and nothing more, incapable of ruling her wild land. She had been thinking about joining the Imperial forces whilst still in Cyrodiil, but when seeing the damage they had caused in Skyrim, she was not so sure anymore. Yes, it was the damn elves that forced all this upon them, but her own kin had been weak.

Her thoughts were interrupted by feeling a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw him. His gaze had changed. Somewhat saddened, ice blue eyes pierced her with their intensity. The man did not take his hand away.

"Where are you going?"

"To Breezehome, I... I must bring some witches' heads with us to the Tomb."

He was probably surprised by her answer, but did not move a muscle in his face to show it.

"Mind if I follow?"

"I can't forbid you to."

Vilkas gave her a small smile before following her down the second set of stairs. He walked close to her, but struggling with finding words. It felt good, though – being close to him.

"I have been cold to you, I know. It's just... I don't trust newcomers."

"You made that very clear." She played cool, but wanted nothing but to hug the man. She craved physical contact with him, but would not let it show. She was a fierce warrior after all, not a feminine girl. If the two of them would involve in physical contact, it should be her fist against his face...

"You impressed me, though. With the Giant, and with... the Silver Hand."

"Drop the facade, Vilkas. You dislike me, and it's personal."

He stopped, grinning from ear to ear. Aurora tried her best to suppress the smile that was breaking out, but it escaped her control, and a few seconds later, she found herself chuckling.

"Fine. But you are very arrogant and self-absorbed," said with the same expression as before.

"I am?" "Please, _you_ are the most insufferable and depressing person I've ever met."

The man took a few steps closer to her, looking down upon her with his eyes half closed.

"Really?"

He let his right hand caress her cheek lightly. The sensation of his touch sent a wave of joy through her body. Her knees felt like pudding, making her struggle with the balance. She could smell his scent mixed with hers now that they were standing so close, and she liked it very much. It was as if he bore her mark.

"Oh, well. I've worked for an elven Nobleman that was worse, but you aren't far behind."

His hand fell down to her shoulder and then to his side. What a way to ruin a magic moment, Aurora, she thought. Oh well, if he was cold, she would match it.

"I'm sorry that I come across like that. I'll behave from now," he said cheek-in-tongue and with a refractory smile.

With that, he turned around and walked up the stairs again. About half way up, he turned his head and exposed a smile before continuing his ascend.

Damn him. It was not just the beast. Had it been it, she would have wanted to mate with him, but she did not just want to do that. She wanted to hug him, perhaps give the man a kiss or two. She pinched herself, but could not come up with a punishment good enough for balancing her wrongdoing. The woman could not decide if a stone to the head or dagger to the heart would be most appropriate in this situation.


	27. Chapter 27

"I have a two tents," Aela said.

"Good," said Aurora, walking up to the table to inspect her shield-siblings' packing. "Where is Vilkas?"

Njada observed the group from across the hall, sitting on the stairs.

"I think he was packing. He is always late."

Aurora was not used to lead people, especially warriors of this class. Aela was helpful, thinking of items to bring that Aurora forgot about. Since always travelling lightly, she never brought a sack, food for days and a lot of potions. The huntress had planned it all.

Farkas was ready long before anyone else. In all fairness, he was basically ready to go as soon as he left the bed in the morning. Nothing could prepare him for the witches' heads, though. When Aurora came back holding them by the hair, he had stared at her as if she had gone mad. Aela took care of it by placing them in a bag and putting it away from the whelps to see.

Njada looked as she would have done anything to come with. The girl longed for being accepted and useful, but had to do with killing bandits and invading bears or Hagravens. Ria, on the other hand was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Vilkas. Aurora was getting anxious. She wanted to leave before the sun stood too high on the sky.

"I'll go and get him," she said and walked towards the stairs. When descending, she noticed that the whelp quarter's door was somewhat open. Two voices were heard from inside.

"When do you leave?"

"It is up to Aurora. But I believe she is eager to go as soon as possible."

Damn. Aurora had no intentions of interrupting their conversation, but they did not have an unlimited amount of time. She felt uncomfortable eavesdropping on the pair too, but she could not just walk in. Ria sounded very low and Vilkas was probably comforting her.

"You don't sound too happy," he stated.

"Well, it's just... I thought that we were... um..."

Aurora stood on the other side of the door, waiting for the right moment to knock just as Vilkas interrupted Ria.

"Be careful with the words you let escape your mouth. I told you about the conditions for..."

"I know, I just... hoped you'd change your mind." The woman silenced for a moment. Clearly, Vilkas had protested as she continued:

"No, that was not what I... I'm fine with it."

"Now that's the spirit."

Aurora knocked two times and opened the door without entering. She looked at Ria, but the girl avoided eye contact with her. This was not the time to think of that, she thought for herself. Her gaze turned to the man, who looked considerably less self-important than before. He found that situation somewhat awkward.

"Vilkas, two more minutes. We are leaving."

Without saying another word to Ria, the man turned around and followed Aurora out.

The group set up camp in the forest, close to the road. Aela was a lot more social this time than when the two of them had gone on Silver Hand raids, perhaps due to her overcoming Skjor's death. She and Farkas led the way, joking and remembering events from the past. Vilkas and Aurora walked side by side without saying much to one another. The atmosphere between them had changed for the better, though, and Aurora often caught Vilkas looking at her with a grin on his face.

They decided to wait through the night a few hours walk from Nightgate Inn. The following would be spent in the tundra, but thankfully they would reach Winterhold by the third one, sleeping at the local inn. Aurora had never been to that town and was looking forward to visiting it even though her shield-siblings told her that there was not much to see apart from the college. The woman realised that she had only visited a few of the beautiful towns of Skyrim. Suddenly, a strong urge to leave came over her. She wanted to see Solitude properly, visit Dawnstar and the other smaller cities, not to forget the Orc strongholds. She had spent months with the Companions already and the traveller within her began to complain. Jorrvaskr was home to her, but she wanted to explore Skyrim properly. How come that young people wanted nothing more than to explore the world, even though they had a warm fire waiting for them at home?

Was it really that general term, or was it just her? She left the Guild as soon as she was expected to take more responsibility, and the woman could feel the same thing was happening again. Only thing was, with the Guild, there was nothing holding her back, but this time... No, she should not be that silly. Vilkas was just a man, and she probably meant nothing to him. It was a worthless reason to stay.

Whilst the others worked on a fire and making food, she had taken a walk away from them, sitting on a stone and overlooking the surroundings. It was quiet there, a nice change. The sky was dark as in a chest – without the moons and stars. It was windy, though. Clouds covered the heaven, enriching Aurora's feeling of being trapped.

Suddenly, she heard a twig break behind her. Shocked for being torn from her thoughts, she turned around.

"Hey," Vilkas said whilst walking up to her. He sat down next to the woman.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing. I... merely wish to observe the nothingness."

He smelled wonderfully, the woman thought. She could not help but to look at him from time to time. Vilkas, on the other hand, did not tear his gaze from the horizon. The setting might have been beautiful, but the man's rugged features were a sight to see too. She had a thing for dark-haired men that even Brynjolf's fiery looks could not match.

She had a thing for Nords too. Imperial men were usually shorter and narrower than the sons of Skyrim. She was uncommonly tall for being an Imperial – matching Aela's height. Farkas was the first one she laid her eyes on, but Vilkas was much more interesting as a person.

"I'm freezing, let's get back to camp," Aurora said.

He looked at her, biting his lip. Stop it, the woman thought. There was no need making it harder for her. She should forget about him.

"Yes," he calmly said, still not taking his gaze from her.

Still sucking on the tingling sensation of his intensive stare, Aurora led them back. It did not feel less rigorous when she turned around. How could she ever have blamed Ria? The man was the embodiment of masculinity in its prime years. The definition of the word had changed for her, encompassing the very characteristics Vilkas possessed.

Aela and Farkas were sleeping heavily, but Aurora knew she would get no rest that night. She sat down by the fire, looking into the flames. Without changing position, she waited out the night.

Aela woke up an hour before dawn and prepared the food she brought from Whiterun. Soup was not Aurora's favourite breakfast, but it had to do. She was not really picky about wheat she ate, but had preferred bread with a little cheese or something similar. The Imperial quickly stretched for a portion. If she would wait, Farkas would eat it all when he woke up.

Seeing Vilkas in a group was a completely different thing from being with him in private. He managed to smile and tell jokes. He even messed up Aela's hair, causing her to chase him around the camp with curses and threats. When the huntress got her revenge, the Companions continued their journey.

By midday, the group reached the Nightgate inn, where the companions stayed for supper. The men ordered food whilst Aurora and her shield-sister took a table as far from the Orc as possible. Aela looked thoughtful as they sat down.

"Skjor used to take me here years ago. The Orc was here already then."

"He is not much for conversation, is he?"

"No, he prefers to be a loner. That's good that he lives here, though. There aren't many others who come here, he keeps the place going."

"Here, girls. Stew of the day," said Farkas whilst serving them the food.

Vilkas handed them a bottle of mead each and sat down opposite Aurora. The twins were in a good mood, based on the grins on their faces. Vilkas was not looking at her directly, but engaging in the conversation. Aurora thought about the mission that lay ahead and the heads she was carrying, remembering Kodlak's death and her questions of the afterlife she never had the chance to ask about.

"Do only Nords go to Sovngarde?" she interrupted the others.

The Companions went quiet. Farkas smiled whilst Vilkas looked at her, stunned. He never expected that question from her. Was it not obvious? He leaned forwards and looked her in the eyes, reassuring her.

"Of course not. Sovngarde is a place for heroes of all races, including Imperials. Die a hero and you will meet others like you, unless of course..." he looked at Aela with a wrinkled forehead, "you prefer to hunt with Hircine."

By nightfall, they reached Wayward Pass and set up their tents in the snow close to the mountainside, protected from the strong wind. Aurora could not say that she was happy to be there, but at least she was convinced that her companion did not hate her this time. Since Aela and Farkas got a good night's sleep a day ago, it was Vilkas and Aurora's turn this time. Aela went out to hunt in her beast form after feeling the need since just outside of Korvanjund, and Farkas decided that it was too cold to do anything but sit in the tent.

After wishing Farkas a good night, she crept inside the other tent. There was not much space inside of it, just two places to sleep. Her shield-sister had been considerate enough to bring a fur Aurora could use as a cover, for which the woman was thankful.

"Cold, isn't it?" asked Vilkas as he showed his head in between the drapes.

Aurora was shivering. Yes, it was cold. Very cold. She could not understand why they could not just have spent the night by the mountain foot instead going of half way up. They would reach Winterhold a few hours later had they done as Aurora said, that would have been all. Stupid Nords, sleeping in a tent with what could only be described as a storm from where she came from.

The woman removed her armour and chose a place to sleep at. When she pulled the fur around her, she noticed that Vilkas too had crept into his sack. She lay with her back against him, desperately trying to hide the fact that she enjoyed it. He came closer to her and put his arm on her hip. The sensation of feeling the weight of his hand on her was overwhelming. Drunk on the moment, she took it and placed it on her stomach.

Aurora could feel him take a fast breath as she did so. He pulled her closer to him and lay there, covering her backside in a protective way. Her heart was beating fast, and he must have noticed it. She was not aroused, though, just...

Oh Aurora, why are you so weak? Fine, she would let herself enjoy it. Once. Then never again. She got as close to him as she could, almost to the point when he ate her hair that was inconveniently finding its way to his mouth. He brushed it to the side and then let his hand fall on the woman's hip once more.

Soon thereafter, he fell asleep.

She loved his scent. She loved his strong arms around her. There was much to adore in that man. It took a while for her to finally fall asleep, but when she did, it was her best sleep ever.

* * *

**Wohoo, not long to go now – three chapters left. Thanks for the new reviews! **


	28. Chapter 28

She was awoken by a harsh pinch on the arm. Half awake, she sat up, seeing the huntress. She realised that her feet and hands were cold, and so was the place next to her. Vilkas had been up for a while by the looks of it. Suddenly, Aela clapped her hands close to the imperial's face to get her attention, mostly confusing Aurora's half-awoken brains.

"We're leaving now. There's some cold rabbit meat if you're interested," said the huntress.

Aurora moaned and opened her eyes, being blended by the strong reflexion of the snow outside. Aela sat on her knees next to her shield-sister, inspecting her closely.

"Why do you Nords insist on making such strange breakfasts?" Aurora complained to divert the attention.

"It's not breakfast. It's dinner. Farkas and I ate it yesterday." She wrinkled her forehead and looked at the woman next to her. "You and Vilkas had a nice night?" There was a hint of curiosity in her tone, which annoyed the Imperial.

"We slept!" Aurora exclaimed. "Since we didn't get rest yesterday, I mean..."

The huntress hit her lightly of the shoulder and told her to put her armour on. Aurora followed the orders, even though putting on the cold metal so close to her was nothing she enjoyed very much. She froze her arms just by touching the parts, and when it came to buckle the plates together, she had lost most of the sensation in her fingers.

As soon as Aurora got out from the tent, the sun's reflexion in the snow once again made her eyes squint. It was a cold, but wind free day. Perhaps that was for the best. She would have had problems reaching Winterhold without experiencing hypothermia otherwise.

Aela began folding the tent whilst Vilkas went through their packing one last time. The other twin smiled at her and offered the woman the promised breakfast. Cold meat in a cold environment, great. It was not far from frozen when Aurora put her teeth into it, to Farkas' great amusement.

"Should have gotten up earlier, but you preferred to stay in bed with my brother, so blame yourself!" he laughed.

As he said so, Vilkas threw him a warning look. He was sitting on his heels not far from the huntress, looking disgusted by the heads that lay in a sack next to him.

"Time to go!" said the huntress, breaking the uneasy silence.

Aurora took the heads over her back and followed Aela. She was the most well travelled one of them, knowing the way perfectly. Not so strange, Aurora thought. Aela had sent her across half of Skyrim to take revenge; meaning the huntress and Skjor explored much more of it.

She had her downsides, but Aurora respected Aela a lot. Vilkas may have been the number two after Kodlak, but it was Aela who made things happen. She did not think stuff through, but on the other hand, Vilkas did more of that than necessary. The huntress was the most prepared one of them, too, bringing essentials and things that made life on the road easier.

Aurora's thoughts went to Vilkas. She enjoyed dozing off in his arms the evening before and still carried his scent after it. The woman suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Kodlak the first time she set her foot inside Jorrvaskr. They had been discussing 'the blood' when she arrived but stopped when they noticed that they were not alone. He had impressed her for the first few seconds, just like Farkas, until he turned arrogant and mean. Perhaps he impressed her because she thought he was Farkas, but it did not matter. The woman was torn. She had promised herself not to like him, but he was making that part harder and harder for her.

"Vilkas?" she asked the man who walked next to her. "Why do you want to give up the beastblood?"

He did not look at her, but the woman could not tear her eyes from him. No, she literally could not – the snow was so white it hurt her eyes, so she focused her gaze at him. He could not possibly misinterpret that, though. Her squinted eyes gave it away.

At firs, he gave her a small laugh, but then he turned serious. His smile died and he looked up in the sky, squinting his eyes too. "My heart is filled with vengeance and my mind is fogged, that is not the way it should be. Besides, you and Kodlak aren't the only ones who wish to enter Sovngarde one day."

It was merely sunset when they reached Winterhold and the Frozen Hearth. Dagur was the name of the innkeeper, who was a pale and blonde Nord. Aela stormed in and went straight to the counter.

"Four rooms," she demanded with a tired and annoyed tone.

"I can only offer you two, I'm sorry!" said the man who looked dazzled. Aurora felt sorry for him. She knew Aela could be quite... harsh.

To her surprise, the huntress turned to Vilkas and Aurora instead of threatening the poor innkeeper.

"The two of you, mind not sleeping tonight?"

"We'll be fine," said Vilkas.

That was strange, Aurora thought. Both Vilkas and the huntress seemed out of character. His brother kept himself in the background with crossed arms and a very tired look. It could not have been easy for the enormous man to cross the tundra, where he sank through multiple layers of snow whilst the women's lighter weight was a massive advantage. To be fair, Vilkas seemed worn too.

Aela once again turned to Dagur. "Good, two rooms it is then." Looking at Vilkas, she continued:

"We leave before dawn."

Aela paid the innkeeper, after what Farkas and the huntress turned to leave the hall. Aurora handled her shield-sister the heads, explaining that is was unfair if she had to carry them around. Even though Aela first objected to sleeping with some dead witches' heads in the room, she agreed after Aurora pointed out that she had a lot of energy left and easily could argue for many more minutes.

When the tired companions left, Aurora turned to Vilkas. He seemed so calm and peaceful. There was a spark in his eyes that spread joy out through the room, warming Aurora's heart.

"Shall we get a bite to eat? That 'breakfast' wasn't much..." she laughed lightly, catching his gaze.

"Get a table," Vilkas answered, smiling.

Aurora turned around, but threw a look at him as she sat down by the table closest to where they had been standing. Vilkas was placing his orders, leaning on the bar table with his arms crossed in front of him. Once again, she pinched herself for looking at him in that way. He was out of bounds. Not for her, or rather, she was not for him.

He came back to her table with a smile on his face and mead in his hands, placing one of the bottles in front of her. She placed her hands on the table, preparing to drink.

"Want to get me drunk?" she joked as she placed the muzzle to her lips.

The man leaned forwards, with his gaze going from the woman's hair to the eyes and lips. Aurora was glad that she was sitting down, for his look was sweet and intensive, sweeping her off her feet. With a cheeky smile, he answered:

"We both know where that leads."

She felt her heart pounding in her chest as he spoke those words. He let his gaze go down to her chest and to the arms with half-closed eyes and his lips somewhat parted. When he placed his hand on the woman's, though, it was as if she was burned. The intensity of it all forced her to close her eyes, but she could not escape his force. She was bound, chained by him.

"Your pie, miss."

She jerked and pulled her hand back. Dagur looked perplexed by the actions of the woman. Vilkas thanked him for the food, forcing him away from the pair. When Aurora gawked at him, he was no longer observing her. The man was eating his damned pie like nothing else was important, making the situation close to unbearable for the woman sitting opposite him.

He was thinking – unsure of whether if it was the beast blood or he that acted that way. In silence, he ate his meal, hoping the woman would not say anything regarding that subject. It was preferable if she said nothing about anything.

After they both finished the meal, Vilkas managed to look her in the face. She looked as confounded as he felt.

"Let's get outside and explore the area."

"Are you insane?" she laughed.

"Come!" The man pulled her with him, grabbing her by the arm.

Her struggles to stay put resulted in nothingness – he was strong enough to get her where he wanted. The innkeeper's face was stuck a 'shocked' when he saw the man push the woman out through the door, with her laughing and protesting at the same time.

Vilkas let go of her as soon as they got outside. It was for a good reason, though, Aurora thought. Seeing the impressive college in the background, surrounded by stars and the moons. Far away in the horizon, there was only water – as far as the eye could see. They stood on the edge of a steep, overlooking... everything.

Slowly, Aurora turned her gaze to the man next to her. Once more, her heart began to pound as she saw the way he was looking at her. Observing, smiling, cherishing the moment. There were no thoughts; they just lived in the moment. They drowned in it, drank it, wanted it to last for an eternity.

With a slow, but precise movement, he reached for her. She closed her eyes and let her heart control her. A weight was placed on the lower back, pulling her closer to him. A few seconds and an eternity later, she felt his warm lips on hers. A promise was broken, but a new one took its place whilst the world was turning around them. Aurora broke free of the mental cages, feeling liberated and anxious.

A burning sensation went through her body, making her knees weak and her mind even weaker. She had promised herself, but could not find the strength to resist. It took all of what she had to just stand up. She answered his kiss passionately, drowning in his scent. It was the most passionate embrace she ever lived through, and when he let go, every part of her yelled for him.

Smiling, whilst still in his arms, she slapped him on the cheek. Looking in her eyes, Vilkas smiled too. She was warm even though it was night and freezing. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might just jump out of her chest.

They ended up in a forest outside of the town. Vilkas had led her there with the quick steps of a desperate man. With the lovethirst of a wolf and patience of a healer, he held her hand. Every second made her want her more and more. He could not stand it anymore. He pinched her to a tree, struggling to control himself.

It was not as the last time she remembered, though. He wanted her, not just anyone. It was psychologically much more intensive. His kisses on her neck were hungrier than ever before, and he felt it mentally difficult to restrain himself. He was as demanding as before – he did not offer the woman a saying in what he did to her, but this time he was sure she wanted it to be no other way.

He untied the parts that held her pants up and let them drop to her knees. Pulling out his manhood from under his loincloth almost made him climax, the pure anticipation was almost enough to satisfy him. He held her wrists locked hard, giving her no space to move.

The woman whispered his name with such sensuality that it caused him to stop for a moment before he could continue. By the Gods, how he loved her doing that! Vilkas placed his head on her shoulder, catching every drip of scent that reeked from her.

He could wait no longer. Aurora put her legs around him, and embraced him with her entire body. Every part of her welcomed him as her liberator from the void no man had ever filled before. With a silent moan, she submitted and surrendered.


	29. Chapter 29

Aurora was leaning on his chest as they sat on a bench at the inn, feeling her own scent on him. It was weak, but still distinguishable on his neck where she had kissed him so avidly merely a few hours before. She had never felt so good as she did right there and then, in the arms of the man who had gone form her torturer to the most cherished person of her life. She valued him in a way she had never done with another living soul.

They had been sitting in that position for hours, the woman guessed. The sun was coming, letting the first beam of light in through the window close to which they were resting. She had never heard him speak with a voice that soft before, making her feel safe and protected. Other things about him had not changed, though. Vilkas was not much of a coddler – meaning Aurora would not get the light strokes by his hand on her cheek she thought came natural with a relationship. In a way, she preferred it to be that way. Vipir was overly attached to her, always wishing to hug or kiss or cuddle her. It was good for a while, but she was bound to grow tired of it after a while.

No, she had never been in that position before, and she enjoyed every minute of it. She had a warrior, not just a masculine man. The woman meant to relish it in private for a while. She did not wish for others to ask questions about something she was not quite sure of herself. Vilkas had not said anything about how to break it for the others.

"Not a word to the others about this," she warned him and touched his upper arm, savouring the sensation of his veins on the hard background.

"No need. They'll smell it on us," Vilkas smiled flirtingly.

He took a firm grip of her hair and pulled the woman to his lips. She could get used to that – being in his hands. For the first time since ages, she felt as if she could let her guard down, not having to worry about ending up devastated when he would marry someone else. Aurora did not dream of the future, though. It would come, day by day. If it was meant to be, perhaps she would meet Vilkas by the altar in Riften – in the distant future.

A very energetic Aela threw her door wide open and almost jumped towards the pair, who were now sitting straight. She only had her bow and some arrows with her, except for the heads of course. She threw them to Aurora, who caught the package with a disgusted look. The huntress must have noticed, but she did not say anything to either Aurora or Vilkas. Her thoughts were focused on the mission and nothing else.

"Let's get Farkas and leave. Hopefully, we'll be back here before nightfall."

Speaking of the trolls. The larger twin entered the hall with a full war paint around his eyes and his greatsword hanging from the back. The huntress ordered some breakfast for the four, and they left for Ysgramor's Tomb.

The walk down to the sea was a troublesome one. One needed to watch one's steps were closely, and Aurora was close to falling on her back a handful of times, but he huntress was there to catch her by the collar of her jacket.

Once they approached the shoreline, Aurora was getting a bad feeling. It did not seem to be any roads leading either to the right or to the left, leaving only one option.

"We're going to swim?!"

"Relax, Imperial. It's not too far," said the huntress.

Honestly, Aurora did not care if it was close; she still had to jump into the freezing water. By looking on her face, Vilkas immediately spotted the obvious and took a few steps closer to her.

"Take your jacket and pants off, we'll bind them to your head and keep them dry."

Aurora could not resist. It was such a good moment to force him to admit how he saw their newly established friendship-relationship.

"Oh, like me so much you want to take my clothes off?" she said, grinning from ear to ear.

His reaction was nothing like she would have imagined. It would have made sense if he would have smiled and said something affirmative. She would have understood if he had been joking it off, avoiding getting into the subject, but he did not.

"You are so..." he said, searching for a word. He was not looking her in the eyes, giving the impression that he was angry with her.

"Arrogant?" she laughed.

"'Arrogant'? Come on, Aurora. You are the most self-important, overconfident and annoying woman I've ever met."

It blew her off her feet. It was not often she was rendered speechless by anyone, but Vilkas managed – with astonishing ease. Confused, regretful and with a tone of sadness, she said:

"I thought you were trying to woo me."

"I'm not a liar."

So very strange. Aurora could not quite understand whether if it was a joke or a remark. Something about it all sounded... wrong.

Into a cold, underground tomb on a desolate island, _not_ 'not too far' away from land they went. The one most keen to enter it was Aela, who was almost jumping out of expectation. Aurora was mostly annoyed over the worst swim of her life, relentlessly cursing the huntress.

A huge statue in a round hall met them as they arrived. It was dark, and the woman's eyes had not grown accustomed to it yet, making it difficult for her to see details. The others inspected the statue of Ysgramor whilst Aurora stayed put together with Vilkas.

"This is the resting place of Ysgramor. And his most trusted generals. You should be cautious," he said.

"Are you not coming?" she asked worryingly.

"I've already told you. Kodlak was right. I let vengeance rule my heart. I regret nothing of what we did at Driftshade. But I can't go any further with my mid fogged or my heart grieved."

His words were ambiguous. Aurora was not sure if he just intended it to be interpreted as an explanation for him not going with the group, or if it also was something about their relationship. Either way, she gave him a fretted gaze before placing Wuuthrad in the hands of the statue.

A vault was opened the second the metal touched stone, making Aela draw her bow and Farkas jump, causing a minor earthquake. Aurora caught the huntress' look and nodded. She grabbed her sword and raised her shield, nervously walking through the opening.

She was met by a few spider webs, but the worst part was the rat that attacked her whilst she was brushing off the silky thread. Thankfully, Farkas had her covered and killed the skeever with a single swing.

Aurora managed to give him a short 'thanks' before a ghost appeared before them. The ghost of a Companion! Stupidly, Aurora thought it would not attack. The huntress saved the Imperial's life by sending an arrow straight into the creature's throat. Shocked, Aurora once more thanked her shield-sibling.

She was unfocused, and it was not a good time. A second ghost attacked Farkas who managed rather well on his own. Aurora felt she had to get Vilkas out of her mind, but it was difficult to say the least. Especially when Farkas reminded her of her situation.

"Chose my brother over me?" he said and pushed her slightly on the shoulder.

Aurora threw a quick look at the huntress, who was investigating the room they were in. There was an iron door that potentially could take them further, but as always, Aela wished to consider all possibilities.

"It was not my choice to make. Ysolda, remember?" Aurora answered whilst still looking at her shield-sister.

"I'm not upset, on the contrary. Just confused. I thought you disliked him." She felt how Farkas was trying to catch her gaze, but decided to avoid it. They were too alike, his brother and he, and shameful memories were not welcome right then.

"Times change," she said and took a few steps closer to the door.

The huntress nodded, and Aurora opened it. They were met by what seemed like an empty hall, but as soon as they entered it, they heard an eerie voice. Three white-ish, transparent bodies appeared with their swords above their heads. Aurora took down two of them before realising there was one more, shooting arrows at her from a distance. Before she had time to attack it, the ghost disappeared into thin air after a critical hit from Aela. When silence fell upon the hall, the Companions attention turned to all the dark corners, walls and vaults.

There were a lot of confusing spaces, often leading nowhere. Aurora felt increasingly uneasy about being there. She did not particularly enjoy tombs and burial places – Ysgramor's Tomb was no exception. Whilst Aela was investigating the compartment, her shield-sister was only looking at the narrow path that would eventually take them downwards.

Great, yet more coffins and ghosts. This time they were many. She counted to half a dozen before leaving the corridor. She stormed towards them as fast as she could, being attacked by three or four at the same time. Sparring two, she cut down the third before Aela had the chance to shoot another one down. Farkas' groan was heard from a distance, indicating that he was doing well. Aurora was rather effective in killing... exterminating ghosts, even though the heads she bore on her back weighed her down and decreased her flexibility.

When the last ghost in the room was slayed, Aurora headed forwards, but was stopped by a large hand on her shoulder. Still moving, she turned around with a face that read 'what?!'.

"I can't go any further, shield-sister."

Aurora stopped, looking puzzled. Noticing her confusion, Farkas continued:

"Big crawly ones. Everyone has his weakness, and this is mine. I'm not proud, but I'll stay back with Vilkas. Give my regards to Ysgramor."

Damn it, she had forgotten. He was right, though, and she was proud of him for admitting his fears, but the timing could not have been worse. Aurora and her shield-sister encountered about twenty spiders, including a giant one later, before reaching the next ghost, and they could have needed a bit more help. Aela's bow did not do much damage to spiders, so Aurora was basically alone in chopping off their long, disgusting, hairy legs.

Proceeding to the next room, they noticed it had many pillars but low ceiling – a perfect place for a surprise attack. Slowly, the Imperial sneaked forwards, busting the defenders. Aela stood behind, doing her job.

After a while, they reached an iron door, which they opened. A pedestal was standing at the end of the room, meaning they were close to Ysgramor's tomb. Eagerly yet with caution, Aurora rushed up to it, pressing the handle situated on pedestal. She expected some kind of trap to be released, sending arrows or flames on her, but none came. Instead, a vault was opened, exposing a new burial chamber soon thereafter. Aurora walked in with firm and decisive steps. She saw a figure, light as the ghosts she met before, but with features she recognised. The man was warming his hands over a blue flame, looking troubled.

"Kodlak, is that you?" Aurora asked, standing in the doorway.

The ghost of the old man looked up and saw her. A soft smile spread across his face, warming Aurora's heart as it did so. Kodlak stretched out his arms towards the shield-sisters, welcoming them to his reign.

"Of course. My fellow Harbingers and I have been warming ourselves here. Trying to evade Hircine."

He confused her. Aurora looked around the empty hall. There were two levels in it, but nowhere could she see movement or even light as she excepted ghosts would radiate.

"I see no others in this hall," she said quietly.

"You see only me because your heart knows only me as the Companions leader. I'd wager old Vignar could see half a dozen of my predecessors. And I see them all. The ones in Sovngarde. The ones trapped with me in Hircine's realm. And they all see you. You've brought honour to the name of the Companions. We won't soon forget it."

A wide smile spread across the Imperial's face too. "But Vilkas said you can still be cured."

"Did he now? I can only hope. You still have the witches' heads?" he asked the woman, who let the sack she bore on her back speak for her. "Excellent," Kodlak continued. "Throw one of them into the fire. It will release their magic, for me at least."

The woman did as she was told. Taking out one of the heads was a rather nasty job, but at least they still seemed fresh. Even Aela wrinkled her nose when her shield-sister opened the bag and pulled one towards the flame Kodlak had been warming his hands on.

The second it fell into the flame, a red, ghostlike spirit emerged from Kodlak. He moved as if he was transforming, bending over in pain. When the beast spirit finally freed itself, Aela shot it. Aurora raised her sword and stormed against it, hitting it repeatedly. It was probably one of her easiest slayings ever. Apparently, werewolves did not have much life-force. When killing it, the woman noticed her sword was not stained at all, just like with the ghosts. Walking up to Kodlak's human spirit, she said:

"It's done."

The man smiled. "And so slain the beast inside of me. I thank you for this gift. The other Harbingers remain trapped by Hircine, though. Perhaps from Sovngarde, the heroes of old can join me in their rescue. The Harrowing of the Hunting Grounds. It would be a battle of such triumph. And perhaps some day, you'll join us in that battle. But for today, return to Jorrvaskr. Triumph in your victory. And lead the Companions to further glory."

Wait, what? Kodlak disappeared before Aurora even had time to think of it. A very unpleasant feeling came upon her. She could not handle responsibility like that. Harbinger? She had left the thieves in panic over being asked to step up as Guildmaster. Well, it was not completely due to that, but it played a role. Aurora had no intentions of becoming the leader of an organisation such as the Companions! She was nowhere near ready for a task of that importance. Something inside of her head was telling her it was time to leave. Fast, before the others got too used, before they would begin to depend on her.

Aela was not making it easier by staring at her like as if she could not believe her ears. With a tone of mistrust and doubtfulness, she asked:

"Did I hear right? Did he say you were to lead the Companions?"

Aurora nodded, not even tying to conceal her shock.

Aela's tone immediately became softer, but she still behaved as envious and distrusting as a moment ago. "You've earned the right. Your strength and honour are apparent to all. And it is my honour to be the first to address you as 'Harbinger'. Let's go and tell the others." Her words felt as the opposite of what she was meaning.

"The war is won, the battle is over," she whispered to the man as they embraced each other. The room was warm, and so were its colours. Night had fallen upon Skyrim's skies a long time ago, and the tired Companions had begged for and received another room at the inn. Aurora could not remember a time when she could have been happier than she was right then, standing so close to the man she adored. It seemed as their strange dialogue had never taken place when Vilkas smiled and kissed her softly, unbuckling her armour at the same time. His eyes and lips craved for the woman in his arms, raising both his and her heart rates.

"I thought us not being werewolves anymore would calm the urge to mate," she said teasingly.

"Oh, but I'm still a man, and I want your flesh, Harbinger."

Aurora giggled and Vilkas stopped for a moment, thinking.

"Never thought I'd utter those words together with _that_ epithet," he continued.

* * *

**Thank you for your fantastic encouragement! You fanfiction readers make me a happy writer.**


	30. Chapter 30

She was weeping silently as she sat on his bed, reading his journal for the fifth time. The atmosphere in the chamber had not changed since the last time, and she still disliked the eerie quietness that hung as a veil in the air, piercing its way to the very core of her soul. The things she read were almost worse. It was partly wonderful, but tragic at times, making it dangerous to the mind. She touched his name with her fingertips, caressing it as if it was his own skin.

_Vilkas seemed most troubled. The boy is as fierce as a sabre cat in battle, but his heart's fire burns too brightly at times. He felt deceived, and I don't blame him._

That fire, oh how cruelly it stung her at times. She loved it, she could not breathe or live without it, but at the same time, it tortured her, giving her only small drips of air to base her entire existence on. He gave and he took, but the mental pieces he seized were torn rather than freely given. She gladly accepted it, though. The indications of love he offered her lit her whole world up.

_Fortune smiles upon us yesterday, Vilkas was telling me how difficult it had been for him to give up his transformations. Until we can pursue a true cure, the twins and I have chosen not to give in to the beastblood. For me, it's provided a clearer head, but Vilkas seems to be suffering a bit for it._

And there was the explanation for some of his grumpy behaviour. She could still not understand why they had begun to dislike each other in the first place, but she was glad it was over. In fact, she had never been happier in her life, even though small reminders of her situation got to her at times.

_Aurora shows valour, though even in this more underhanded time. We have not had cause to speak, much and that is something I deeply regret. I have high hopes for her destiny, as I realized that her appearance in my dream may indeed mark her as the Harbinger to succeed me._

_I have received few dreams over the course of my life, but when they come, I have learned to trust them. I have also learned to trust the instincts of my heart, which tells me that Aurora can carry the Companions legacy as truly as any residing in Jorrvaskr, especially with the loss of Skjor. Aela is too solitary, Vilkas too fiery, and Farkas too kind-hearted. Only Aurora stands as a true warrior who can keep a still mind amidst these burning hearts._

He was wrong, Kodlak. He had forgotten to take a good look at her mentality – her ability to bear responsibility. She could just not do it, especially when parts of the Companions felt nothing but disappointment towards her. Ria hated her, and it was not unanticipated. Well, Ria was just a whelp, but the fact that Aela saw her as unworthy did it all. No matter to what she said, she could not hide her disapproval of Kodlak's choice. Frankly, Aurora too would have chosen someone else. Neither one of them had the maturity and wisdom to lead the Companions, but Aela or Vilkas were bound to grow into the role. Aurora – she was a whelp with a warrior's hand, but still a _whelp_.

Coming to terms with the situation was not easy, so she repressed it until later. She had been doing so for the past two weeks whilst living out her dream with the man she held so dearly. He did not discuss it with her, for what she was grateful. When with him, it felt as the world could not get to her, as she was protected from all the evils and commitments of the mundane life.

At times, he was as distant to her as before. They did not discuss each other very much, what begun to worry her slightly. She had been spending most of her days in bed with Vilkas, kissing, touching and pleasing one another. He was her skooma, which she could drink relentlessly. The most interesting, strong and fierce man and warrior she had ever known.

That little voice in the back of her head was urging her to speak to him, though. Just to make sure everything was good between them. Well, it was, but she wanted to know where they were heading, from his perspective.

The woman closed Kodlak's journal and put it on the bed. She let an end of her jacket come to her eyes and soak up the salty tears, rubbing her skin dry. There was no one in the corridor even though it was evening already. With slow steps, she proceeded to the stairs.

She barely noticed him coming down, and when she did, his arms already embraced her. The man smiled and kissed her, hard and passionately. Oh, what an amazing comforter he was. She parted her lips for him and felt him react instantly. Gently, he pushed the tip of his tongue into her, awakening every butterfly that resided inside her stomach. A dance of the tongues, love making of the spirits.

He carried her to his room and threw her to the bed whilst kicking the door shut. She waited for him like she always did, enjoying the fact that he loved to tear the clothes off her in his hungry, intensive way.

This time was no exception. Her jacket and trousers had left her body and were lying on the floor. His clothes made them company short thereafter. The depth of his eyes was just astonishing. She loved watching them whilst he did the work. Mesmerising, just like the rest of him. His strong arms that held hers, almost cutting the blood supply to her fingers. He was just right for her, mixing pain and pleasure to an almost insufferable level of indulgence.

When he entered her, forcing her sides apart, she squeaked. Trying to maintain a neutral facial expression was hopeless. She had never encountered a man that size before, and probably never would again. It scared her slightly every single time she was presented with it, and already bore a small wound from it.

His beast spirit may have been gone, but he was still as animalistic as always, almost craving her more often than she could bear. She loved the challenge, how they matched one another perfectly and still remained bitter rivals.

"I have something to say to you," she whispered.

The man continued to strike himself into her whilst he put his hand over her mouth, promoting her to hold her tongue. She smiled at his half-hearted attempt and continued:

"I love you Vilkas." It filled her heart with joy just to utter those words to him. She felt so free. It was a risk, but it did not matter, for it was Vilkas she shared her feelings to. "With all my soul," she added, eyes sparkling of thrill.

He stopped. Eyes wide open, staring at her. Aurora could not think straight; in fact, she could not do anything at all but observe his reaction. He pulled out, still eyes wide open. He sat on the edge of the bed, arms on his lap, looking on the wall in front of him. His pulse went up, judging by the pumping of the vein on his throat. Aurora knew there was a risk of him not feeling quite 'there' yet, but his reaction shocked her.

Vilkas got up, thinking hard. When he began pulling his pants on, Aurora panicked. Why was he leaving? Those words should by no means have been able to offend him. She threw herself from the bed, desperately clinging to his arm, hoping to gain his attention.

"What are we, Vilkas?" she asked anxiously, searching for his gaze.

He pulled himself free, pushing the woman away from him. She landed on the bed with her buttocks first. The physical aspect of it did not frighten her, but the emotional did. Vilkas looked at her but not in the eyes.

"Let's not ruin this with definitions." His voice was hard and cold.

"I wish to know."

He walked up to her and leaned forwards, positioning himself on the same level as Aurora. The man sighed and held her softly by her elbows. Vilkas had his shirt on already, making the Imperial feel somewhat awkward about her nakedness.

"When people build monuments to honour their relationships, they build it in stone, making it strong, but not flexible. With a hit in the wrong place, it might crack."

She was frightened by the words he spoke. No, she was scared about her own silliness. She was so stupid. The one thing she had promised herself never to let occur had happened again right before her eyes. He had used her, just like he had used Ria. No, it was not fair to think that of him, he had never given her any illusions about anything; it was she who constructed a relationship in her mind – a relationship that simply did not exist in the real life. Could it really be? Could she be so blind? He was not to blame.

"Aurora, hey. We're good as we are. I want us to remain that way. Alright?"

"Sure, I'm sorry," she said, holding back her tears. She would be damned if she let him notice.

The moment he walked out of the door, Aurora's eyes were burning with watery sorrows. The good feeling she had been having for the past week disappeared instantly. She was as lonely as ever, but without her heart safety tucked away deep inside of her. He had it in his hands, oblivious to the hurt he caused it.

He went out on a mission the day after Aurora's slip and did not return for another week. He said that he had to bring in some coin for the Companions and make himself useful after a week of resting, as he put it. Perhaps there was some truth to it – after all, Vilkas was not a lazy type of person. On the other hand, it did feel as if he was avoiding her. Perhaps it was for the best, though – it was not exactly as if she wanted him hanging around. The woman had decided that she would not fall for it again; she would end it before it got out of hand.

That was easier said than done. When he returned, she wanted nothing more than to jump into his arms, ask him about the trip and give him a long, heartwarming kiss. She restrained herself, though. Apparently, Vilkas did the same.

Her first week in the real world and not just in Vilkas' bedchamber resulted in some uneasy situations. Aela asked her about guidance, but Aurora was sure she was being sarcastic. Ria attempted to have a conversation with her, but Aurora's guilt made her very unsocial. Farkas was the only one she was able to talk to, and he indeed welcomed her with a smile every time she sat down with him to eat or chat. She was growing increasingly depressed thinking that no one even liked her.

Aurora went to bed early. She could not be bothered about celebrating Vilkas defeating a bunch of bandits and common criminals. She was torn when it came to him, and in all honesty, she felt Jorrvaskr's walls were narrowing, suffocating her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by hearing footsteps outside of her door. It was opened without a knock, exposing the huntress' figure.

"There's a blondie here who says she is your housecarl. Should I drive her away?"

"What? Lydia?" Aurora squinted.

"Yes, I think that's her name."

Aela turned around and disappeared whilst Aurora got dressed again. She only took her jacket and pants, thinking it would be nothing serious. What would Lydia possibly do at the doorstep of Jorrvaskr? Did Breezhome burn down? Did she wish to join? Running up the stairs, she indeed saw her housecarl by the front doors. Vilkas, his brother, Njada, Ria and Aela were in the hall, sitting by the table. All of them looked at Aurora and then on the blonde woman.

"My Thane, there is a woman here to see you," Lydia said with a quiet tone.

A woman? She expected Delphine would send for her shortly, but not that she would show up herself. Something must have gone wrong.

"Tell Delphine I'll be there in a moment," Aurora ordered.

She turned around, ready to take the first steps towards the stairs when Lydia suddenly exclaimed:

"It's not the Blades, my Thane!"

Aurora stopped once again, perplexed. "What? Who is it then?"

Lydia was stuttering. "I... I think it is the Thieves. She is dressed in black and her voice is very... dreamy."

"Karlilah!"

Then something _really_ was wrong. If the Guild needed help, they had messed up properly. Especially if Karlilah came all the way from Riften, only to send Aurora's housecarl to get her. She ran down the stairs as quickly as she could, storming into the whelps' quarters. The woman did not even bother taking her armour on, she just picked up all the pieces, took her sword and weapon and headed towards the exit.

It was meant for her to leave the Companions, at least temporary. This was just what she needed – to get away from the heartache, from the mundane role of being a Harbinger. If only for now at least.

Lydia was already gone when Aurora reached the hall. She said goodbye to the shield-siblings sitting by the table and continued outside. It was impractical to carry the armour as she lost the grip of her gauntlets and boots from time to time, but she did not care.

"What was it?" Vilkas asked her worryingly.

She had not even noticed him walking outside, but she did not care. He could have his private goodbye if he wished so. It was not forever, so Aurora did not pay much attention to it. She would come to terms about it eventually. She would get over him, but needed time.

"I have to help a friend," she said.

"Is it going to take long?" He sounded upset.

"I don't know. Perhaps. Karlilah would not ask for help if they had not encountered severe problems."

Come on! It's not like she was moving away for good. She would help the Guild with one thing. Thinking about the fact that her sister in crime was waiting impatiently for her at Breezehome, Aurora wanted to get away as soon as possible. As much as it hurt her to leave Vilkas, it was the right thing to do.

"But I..."

"I have to go. I have to fix this, whatever it is."

So she left. When the gust, leaving her scent behind reached Vilkas' nose, his woman was already half way to the Gildergreen. When the fragrance of her disappeared, Vilkas stood still, not looking anywhere but into his own soul. The stars shone upon him, reminding him about the kiss in Winterhold that changed everything for the better. Only when the fire in the hall's fireplace died out, three little words escaped his lips. Everything would be good from then on, he thought and smiled. Everything would be good.

* * *

**There will be a freestanding sequel to** _The Adventures of a Dragonborn_ **called** _The Adventures of a Dragonborn: for King and Skyrim_ **(if one can have that many characters in the title) coming up in mid-December.**

**Finally, I thank my readers, reviewers, and the ones who added the story or me to their favourites or followed it. Your encouragement made me want to write as much as possible, whenever I had the chance. I appreciate all criticism, and I'm always thrilled when I notice that someone commented on or added the story. Really, thank you so much, you always make my day.**

**Bethesda owns everything, I just made a story out of their wonderful creation that Skyrim is.**


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